President Andrej Kiska on Thursday vetoed the amendment to Parliament's Rules of Procedure that was approved by coalition legislators at the end of October. Kiska defended his decision by stating that the amendment appears to represent inappropriate pressure from the majority.
"The president views the question of political culture, standards and content of political discussions, including during parliamentary sessions, as one of the factors that influence the trust shown by people in the state and its institutions. At the same time, he doubts whether or not it's possible to order something effectively via a law which is naturally considered to be a matter of good behaviour and basic decency among elected political representatives," stated the President's Office.
Moreover, the President stressed that it could also interfere in political rights and freedoms, including the freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the Slovak constitution.
The Parliamentary chairperson Andrej Danko is one of the main sponsors of the bill. It should have ushered in time limits on the speeches of legislators, parliamentary vice-chairs and ministers, while the president, prime minister and parliamentary chair would have been exempt from such limitations. In addition, banners, leaflets and audio-visual presentations were set to be banned during parliamentary sessions.
Now, Parliament has to adopt the bill again with at least 76 affirmative votes or it will not become a reality.
Parliamentary chair Andrej Danko respects President Andrej Kiska's decision to veto the Rules of Procedure amendment. As the Parliament Office's head of communication Zuzana Čižmárikova informed, the proposal to change the Rules of Procedure will be deliberated at the next session under the standard process.
Amendment co-submitter Gabor Gal (Most-Híd) has yet to see Kiska's reasons for vetoing the bill. "Adopting such an amendment was necessary even in the previous election term, when Most-Hid was in opposition (2012-16). … Parliament has ceased to be the place for passing laws and competing for the best political programmes and has instead deteriorated into exhibitionism displayed by some of its members," Gal told press agency TASR.
By vetoing the amendment to the parliamentary Rules of Procedure, President Andrej Kiska has shown himself to be a bastion of protecting democracy in Slovakia, said Opposition OĽaNO-NOVA party leader Igor Matovič. OĽaNO-NOVA hopes that the coalition parties will take Kiska's line of argumentation into account and concede that their stance is at fault. This party MP Ján Budaj thanked Kiska for not viewing the Rules of Procedure as only an internal matter among lawmakers. "He's aware that if the rights of a minority are trampled in Parliament, people can hardly believe that it won't happen outside Parliament as well," said Budaj, who believes that taking a gamble with parliamentary freedom isn't worth the risk.
