Speaker of Parliament Richard Sulík said on Tuesday, May 24, that the Slovak National Party (SNS) caucus in the Slovak parliament will be maintained until he decides otherwise, the TASR newswire reported.
Sulík was commenting on the current situation of the SNS caucus, which was reduced to seven members as MPs Anna Belousovová and Rudolf Pučík left the caucus. According to the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure, at least eight MPs are needed to form a caucus.
"I'll consult the issue with lawyers and the chief of the Parliamentary Constitutional Committee [Radoslav Procházka from the Christian Democratic Movement], and I want to decide on the matter by the end of the week," said Sulík to TASR, indicating that there are only two possible solutions - maintaining the caucus with seven members or dissolving it.
Prochazka noted that the provision does not only imply that eight MPs are necessary to set up a caucus but also to maintain its further existence. He stressed, however, that he has been the only member of the committee having this interpretation of the Rules of Procedure so far and therefore the caucus will most probably be maintained.
Attitudes of the committee have only the character of a recommendation for Parliamentary Chairman, however. Even if the caucus is dissolved, SNS will still have party status and would not be deprived of the associated government funding. Without a caucus it will lose a stipend of €315 annually, but more importantly its designated office premises would be affected, TASR wrote.
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.
