BRATISLAVA, November 19, (WEBNOVINY) — The Slovak Parliament was twice unable to achieve a quorum to open a session on Monday morning, when only 69 MPs were present in the 150-member parliament. The session was convened at the opposition’s request that felt obliged to demand a no-confidence vote to oust Justice Minister Tomas Borec, after the ruling coalition blocked an extraordinary session of parliament last week to discuss the serious state of the judiciary in Slovakia. Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paska set the next beginning of the session of parliament for 9:00 on Tuesday, after a quorum in parliament could not be achieved twice on Monday morning.
During both attempts at 9:00 and at 10:00 on Monday, only a minimum of MPs from the governing SMER-SD were present, in the first case of twelve and at the second attempt ten. Opposition parties have 67 MPs. Parliament has a quorum to open a session if an absolute majority of 76 MPs are present.
Justice Minister Tomas Borec should have been the first minister of the second Cabinet of Robert Fico to face a no-confidence vote in parliament. Opposition parties KDH, MOST-HID, and SDKU-DS filed the motion after the ruling SMER-SD on Wednesday last week blocked a debate at an extraordinary session of parliament on the state of the judiciary. Although they apparently have no chance of success with the no-confidence vote, in this way the opposition wants to force the debate on the judiciary in parliament.
Prime Minister and SMER-SD chairman Robert Fico said on Monday that the parliamentary session can start when all opposition MPs come to parliament. When all opposition MPs are in parliament, SMER-SD will supply enough of its MPs to achieve a quorum in parliament, he said. As Prime Minister Fico further said, it has become a fashion for the opposition to present various proposals and then stay away from parliament.
Commenting the situation, opposition MOST-HID chairman Bela Bugar said SMER-SD has shown its arrogance, it misused its parliamentary majority, and is returning society to the time before 1998. „We have seen such things in the past. We returned to before 1998, when Vladimir Meciar in 1994 won elections and afterwards [when he turned parliament into a voting machine that approved any undemocratic proposal – SITA note] he said that we won, get used to it. Breaking down the basic principles of democracy in this way is unacceptable,“ Bugar told reporters. Bugar said SMER-SD displayed arrogance of power by not allowing a parliamentary discussion about a serious issue with the judiciary that is deemed a problem according to a survey by 69 percent of citizens of Slovakia. „It is an even greater arrogance of SMER-SD given the fact that Speaker of Parliament approved the participation of two opposition MPs to represent Slovakia abroad. Those who could not have come today, as well as those who are in hospital or are ill. Saying that they will provide ten MPs is arrogance of the highest degree. The opposition will always be in the minority,“ said Bugar, in his explanation of how SMER-SD misused its majority in parliament to block a debate on a serious issue in society.
KDH position to what SMER-SD did is worded even stronger. According to KDH faction chief Pavol Hrusovsky, by blocking today’s extraordinary session to oust Justice Minister Tomas Borec, SMER-SD started dismantling representative democracy in Slovakia. „They are denying MPs the right to debate, control, but also propose solutions. If such arrogance of power as expressed through a parliamentary majority should continue further, I would have to express concern about the future political development in Slovakia,“ Hrusovsky told reporters on Monday.
SITA