Repeated postponement of opposition motions to dismiss ministers is a form of obstruction on the part of the parliamentary majority, political scientist Juraj Marušiak from the Slovak Academy of Sciences told TASR, adding that the coalition wants not only to demonstrate its power, but also to ensure that the reasons for the no-confidence motions are forgotten and that the cases are lost.
Political scientist from Comenius University Darina Malová added for TASR that the current government majority doesn't respect the customs that applied in Parliament in the past.
"Such parliamentary delays may not be explicitly unconstitutional, but they effectively prevent the opposition from expressing its views. The postponements create space for similar practices to be repeated in the future, thereby deepening the confrontation between the majority and the opposition," Marusiak told TASR, adding that, it can't be ruled out that concerns within the coalition may also be behind the postponement of opposition proposals, as it only has a narrow majority of MPs in the House.
"The fact that the House chair doesn't respect normal parliamentary practice shows that parliamentary democracy in Slovakia is in crisis, because the ruling majority doesn't recognise the legitimate rights of the opposition and doesn't respect the customs that applied in the past," opined Malová.
Source: TASR
