In the wake of violent clashes earlier this month a plan to introduced a parliamentary security guard or a fine amounting to one-month’s MP’s salary to counteract physical attacks, Smer deputies have opted not to file draft amendments designed to combat such “excesses”.
Smer deputies will also not support any opposition proposals amending house rules in parliament, Deputy Speaker Jana Laššáková, head of the Smer caucus, told the TASR newswire.
Lucia Žitňanská of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) thinks that some measures to prevent fights in parliament or “non-standard leading of sessions” should be implemented and plan, in spite of Laššáková’s statements, to table her proposals aimed at boosting the controlling rights of opposition. She added, as quoted by the TASR newswire, that if no changes can be expected, the amendment to the parliamentary laws should be withdrawn from the agenda of parliament.
The amendment to the law on parliamentary rules is in the second reading, filed by Laššáková and her party colleagues. Originally, it was only meant to solve the issue of caucus being dissolved after the number of MPs falls to less than eight. This reacted to the situation emerging after several Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) MPs left the party, leaving less than eight MPs in the caucus. On September 25, this draft amendment was passed in parliament.
However, recent weeks saw several brawls and excesses by MPs of both coalition and opposition, and the amendment should have brought tools to tame “inadaptable MPs”, TASR wrote on September 25. Laššáková said, that there appears no political will to adopt such measures, although Smer could easily pass them with its parliamentary majority of votes.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
