Voice-SD Rejects Election Cooperation with LSNS and OLaNO

Banska Bystrica, January 26 (TASR) - The extra-parliamentary Voice-SD party rejects cooperation with the OLaNO party in this year's regional and municipal elections as well as in the future parliamentary election, party chairman Peter Pellegrini told a press conference on Wednesday following an away-from-home meeting of the party presidium. It will also take part in collecting signatures for announcing an opposition referendum on amending the Constitution on an early election, to which it will add its own social question. "The party presidium has decided to ban all its organisations at the regional, district and central levels from concluding any coalition or cooperation in the next municipal and regional elections, while excluding any post-election cooperation after the parliamentary election with the LSNS and OLaNO," said Pellegrini. According to the Voice-SD head, the reason for the exclusion of cooperation with Marian Kotleba's party is the fascist ideology of the LSNS. In turn, he described OLaNO as a one-man movement without clear statutes and control mechanisms. Voice-SD did not rule out election cooperation with other parties, and the party's regional and district organisations have a free hand to form any coalitions in the upcoming regional and municipal elections. Pellegrini went on to say that the second conclusion, which was agreed unanimously by the party presidium, is that Voice-SD with its organisations will join the announced opposition petition. It aims to collect 350,000 signatures for holding a referendum on an amendment to the Constitution so that it will be possible to vote in a referendum on the announcement of an early election. The referendum should also include a question concerning the possibility of setting up military bases in Slovakia. "The party is entering into this petition with a proposal for a third social question. We'll discuss this question with the petitions committee," said Pellegrini, adding that it isn't yet clear what the question will be. am/mcs