The Parliament’s Office has said that the leader of the opposition movement Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO-NOVA), Igor Matovič, will lose one month’s salary and bonuses for failing to provide suitable reasons for his absences from parliamentary sessions, the TASR newswire reported.
“MP Igor Matovic asked to be excused on May 9 because of alleged bullying behaviour on the part of the speaker of parliament [Andrej Danko],” said Zuzana Čižmáriková, spokesperson for the Parliament’s Office, as quoted by TASR.
Čižmáriková said that although Matovič refused to carry out his duties in parliament, he would have been paid his salary and bonuses if his request had been accepted.
Matovič had been told to submit justifications that would align with authorised reasons for absences from parliament, Čižmáriková explained.
According to the regulations, the three reasons for which an MP can be excused are documented illness, urgent family matters or working trips.
Matovič will lose his June salary and bonuses for his seven unexcused absences during the previous month, Čižmáriková said.
Death threats drive Matovič from parliamentary sessions Read moreMatovič sent apologies for his absence in advance of all parliamentary sessions in May and June. The OĽaNO-NOVA head said that the Constitution allows everybody to resist any attempt to obstruct the democratic order of fundamental human rights and liberties.
“My boycott of the parliamentary sessions is a display of resistance against the dictatorial and bullying practices of Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko, who has sunk to reading and censoring letters from my voters,” Matovič said, as quoted by TASR, referencing a recent controversy surrounding parliament’s front desk decision to open letters that may contain offensive content.
Matovič’s decision to boycott parliamentary sessions will also be handled by the parliamentary mandate committee.