Opposition Smer party on Sunday, July 18, voiced its objections to the practice of parliament’s governing coalition through which it has put one lawmaker on more than one committee claiming that by so doing it is increasing its voting power.
The deputy chairman of the party’s caucus, Miroslav Číž, told the TASR newswire that Smer lawmakers will seek a Constitutional Court ruling in September on whether the coalition is acting in violation of the Constitution and whether it is permissible to change the standing of parliamentary committees in this way.
Číž says this tactic is allowing the coalition to command 79 votes and to take control of committees. He added that this is unfair and was first used by Mikuláš Dzurinda's 2002-06 second government after it lost its parliamentary majority.
According to the former deputy Speaker of Parliament, the Smer-led government (2006-10) did not resort to it when it lacked votes – and it could have used this tactic. Smer has 62 legislators in the 150-seat chamber, far more than the 30 required to file a motion before the constitutional court.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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