Parliament will hold its last session of the current election term today.
Prior to the ceremony, MPs will vote on one last piece of legislation - a revision to the medical drugs law that Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič recently vetoed.
The fact that parliament is ending its term with one fifth of its seats occupied by independent MPs proves that it has gone through a turbulent period.
The independents also proved to be the biggest problem of the parliament. Last autumn, tempers hit fever pitch when a minority coalition of MPs prevented parliament from even opening a session. The problem was effectively resolved when two opposition MPs from the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia unexpectedly left their caucus and joined a pro-government group.
It has largely been thanks to these independents that the Mikuláš Dzurinda government has managed to push through its agenda.
According to Milan Hort of Dzurinda's Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), the party has appreciated the work of the independent MPs, "most of [whom] understood the challenge of the times".
Compiled by Martina Jurinová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
