Grendel: Constitution Amendment Pure Politicking

Bratislava, 1 June (TASR) - The amendment to the Constitution, which is to address the enshrinement of the two genders, is pure politicking, MP for the 'Slovakia' party Gabor Grendel said on Sunday, pointing out that Slovakia's central bank (NBS) governor Peter Kazimir's tenure has expired and the coalition has no successor for him. According to Grendel, Premier Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) initiative to amend the Constitution shows that the whole process has been motivated since the beginning by an effort to cover up internal problems of his government. "When Robert Fico says today that let's put politics aside, that is about as credible as his explanations on EU funds and the Agricultural Payments Agency. He presented the amendment to the Constitution at a time of his own government crisis and with a clear message to the opposition that we have something to look forward to," he stated. Grendel also pointed out that until Parliament elects a new candidate for the NBS governor, the powers of the governor continue to be exercised by incumbent governor Kazimir according to the law. Grendel points out that Kazimir was convicted by a first-instance court. The 'Slovakia' party considers this to be unacceptable. "Therefore, we propose a legislative change according to which, if the mandate of the governor expires and a new governor is not elected, his powers should automatically pass to the deputy governor. The central bank currently has a duly appointed deputy governor, so the institution could continue its activities without any restriction," said the MP. The party also rejects the prime minister's claims that everyone must contribute to the consolidation, criticising the coalition's rejection of all opposition proposals to cut spending in the political sphere. am