BRATISLAVA, May 18, (WEBNOVINY) — Opposition SMER-SD deputies left the parliament’s assembly hall prior to the vote on Wednesday in protest at the way the coalition manages the parliamentary session. They minded that parliament’s leadership assumes different approach to opposition and coalition draft bills. While Speaker of Parliament Richard Sulik did not include three bills tabled by SMER-SD in the preliminary agenda of the session because the six-month period since their rejected in parliament has not elapsed, but the plenum would discuss a Cabinet’s amendment to the law on regulation in network industries although it was discussed and rejected earlier this year, at the February session.
“There has never been such dirt here before. On the one hand, they exclude opposition’s bills not to vote on issues that are beneficial for the people, and on the other hand they put an equally problematic coalition’s bills on the agenda. No commentary is needed here, it is simply a huge faux-pas, I have never seen anything like that,” said Vice Chairman of SMER-SD Robert Kalinak on the course of parliamentary session. Smer-SD’s bills concern VAT reduction to 19 percent, introduction of a special bank levy and the citizenship law. Cabinet’s amendment to the regulation in network industries stipulates that parliament should appoint the URSO chairperson and his/her deputy based on the proposal of the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, not the Regulatory Council.
The plenum adjourned the vote on the amendment to next week and Sulik admitted that this item could be dropped and some bills proposed by SMER-SD will be additionally included in the program. SMER Chairman Robert Fico understands the actions of parliament’s leaders as infringement of the right of opposition deputies to submit proposals that they find important. “Be ashamed of yourself, ladies and gentlemen in the ruling coalition,” addressed Fico deputies of four ruling coalition parties.
Sulik fights back claiming that he himself cannot drop an item from the program that was submitted by the Cabinet and that the opposition does not have three caucuses to submit such proposal. Leader of the SMER-SD caucus Pavol Paska claims there is a verbal agreement from the beginning of the election period that the opposition will only need application from two caucuses. Bela Bugar (MOST-HID denied existence of such agreement.
SITA