Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, September 25 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Progressive Slovakia MP expelled for stickers
Progressive Slovakia MP Lucia Plaváková showing her notebook with stickers that SNS chair Andrej Danko objected to. (source: TASR)
During the Wednesday parliamentary session, Deputy Speaker and Slovak National Party (SNS) chair Andrej Danko took objection to the fact that Progressive Slovakia MP Lucia Plaváková's notebook was covered with stickers.
"Stickers all over your notebook?" he asked when Plaváková she was approaching the speaker's lectern. "You shouldn't have any, no ads," he continued.
Plaváková replied that everything is according to rules and the stickers are not advertisements. Her notebook features a rainbow sticker in the shape of a heart, another with her party slogan, a heart sticker that reads "Consent is love", as well as the Slovak flag, among a few more.
"There are rainbows, LGBTI issues, there are stickers promoting companies," Danko complained and then interrupted the session asking her to remove or cover them. When Plaváková returned after the break, she put the notebook so that is wasn't visible and said that she was not going to remove the stickers. Danko then expelled her.
Subsequently, Danko asked Deputy Speaker Peter Žiga (Hlas) to convene a committee session to deal with the issue of stickers on computers.
Plaváková then filed an objection against her expulsion. In a turn of events, Danko's coalition partners did not support him; 25 Hlas MPs out of 27 instead supported Plaváková and all 42 Smer MPs abstained from voting. Nevertheless, Danko stood behind his decision and now wants the issue to be raised at a Coalition Council meeting.
"You witnessed the first political betrayal by Hlas, as the coalition agreement clearly states that Hlas cannot vote in favour of an opposition proposal. This was a gross violation of the coalition agreement," Danko said later.
That was not the end of it. SNS MP Rudolf Huliak, known for the claim that LGBTI+ people cause climate change, declared that an MP advocating abortion "deserves no other name than a bitch" if she does not respect the basic "questions of life given to humans by God" and added that he does not even consider her a woman.
Opposition MPs described the situation, saying that the coalition is falling apart "on air". "What SNS is doing is absolutely unacceptable," stated PS caucus head Martin Dubéci, who went on to call on President Peter Pellegrini and PM Robert Fico to act. This comes after several Hlas ministers did the same.
Later on Wednesday, Plaváková was once again expelled for having the stickers on her notebook, this time by Deputy Speaker Tibor Gašpar (Smer).
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FEATURE STORY
Looking for a sense of belonging
Mirna Khaleel Majeed Ayshoa Yousif Kaka. (source: Soňa Maletz Nosáľová)
Mirna and her family had to leave Iraq due to their Christian faith. One day when they were in the town of Karakosh, bells started ringing, alarming everyone of approaching ISIS. The family quickly gathered the essentials and left for a refugee camp. Mirna later learned what happened to those who stayed. She now lives in Slovakia.
"Sometimes I feel lost. I don't know where I belong. At times it's challenging to follow all Iraqi and Slovak traditions. I try to combine them, but I feel bad that I don't fully belong to either," she opened up in an interview for the [fjúžn] magazine.
EVENT FOR TOMORROW
Learn traditional dances
The opening dance night of the 23rd cycle of The House of Traditional Dances will take place on Thursday in Bratislava's Kacečko venue located in the city centre. Under the tutelage of masters, attendees will be able to learn dances from Podpoľanie, a region in the middle of Slovakia. Click here for more information.
IN OTHER NEWS
An envelope addressed to PM Robert Fico (Smer) containing a bullet was delivered to the Government Office on Wednesday. Members of the Office for the Protection of Constitutional Officials discovered the bullet during their morning check of the mail. The sender is currently unknown, however, according to Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok it's only a matter of time before the police track down the individual. According to General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka, this is a criminal act and a display of recklessness and callousness. The PM was a victim of assassination attempt, he was shot on May 15 in the mining town of Handlová. (Plus 7 Dní, TASR)
Based on the Judicial Council proposal, the government okayed the candidacy of Ondrej Laciak, Radoslav Procházka and Daniela Ježová for the post of judge of the European Court of Human Rights. The mandate of the current Slovak judge at the court, Alena Poláčková, will expire on December 28, 2024. (TASR)
Private TV Markíza announced that the Na telo political talk show will return on October 20, with Karolína Lacová as the host. Previously, Lacová used to work at the state broadcaster STVR where she hosted several discussion formats. She is replacing Michal Kovačič, who was dismissed by the television for his live on-air criticism of the network—an action that violated legal regulations due to his role as a union leader. The talk show will be aired at its regular time on Sundays at 13:00. (SME)
New flights to non-traditional destinations from the Bratislava airport are being added to the schedule this week. On September 24, the first charter flights to the Portuguese island of Madeira took off. From September 26, holiday goers will be able to fly directly to Qatar on the Arabian Peninsula. This is the first time travellers will be able to avail of such flights.
Parliament rejected a resolution expressing regret at a claim by the government 'Covid-19' commissioner Peter Kotlár that there was no Covid-19 pandemic in Slovakia in terms of incidence and other measurable parameters. The resolution was submitted by SaS MPs. (TASR)
Due to flooding, mosquitoes are expected in the vicinity of the rivers Danube and Morava. That is why an intervention is being carried out. A helicopter has deployed biocide called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI), a naturally occuring bacteria, at the Devínske Jazero lake in Bratislava's borough of Devínska Nová Ves. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Cloudy to overcast skies, occasionally rain and showers. Level 1 and 2 wind warning issued for several districts, see map here. Daily temperatures will rise to between 17 °C to 25 °C. (SHMÚ)
SEPTEMBER 26 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Edita
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