Rasi: Passing of Constitution Changes Significant, Voice-SD Stable

Bratislava, 26 September (TASR) – The passing of the amendment to the Slovak Constitution is a significant moment, House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice–SD) declared at a press conference on Friday. Rasi underlined that the constitutional changes were passed also thanks to part of the opposition, which had previously opposed them. "If the 'Slovakia' party had voted according to their conscience, the [constitutional amendment] might have received 110 or more votes. But as you saw on our faces, we were pleasantly surprised today," said Rasi. He emphasised that beyond enshrining two genders – male and female – in the Constitution, more attention should be given to ensuring equality between men and women in remuneration for work performed. "Unfortunately, even today, women tend to be paid less than men. The gap ranges between 15 and 20 percent," the House Chair noted. Rasi also confirmed that MP Jan Ferencak (Voice-SD) had apologised in advance for missing the vote. "I must objectively say that yesterday he sent a message to the party group leader, apologising for the fact that he had to leave Bratislava in the morning for health-related family reasons. He made that clear, and I don’t want to criticise him for that. We aren't expelling him. He remains our member, but if he's heading to another coalition caucus, he should simply say so," he added. Rasi noted, however, that even if Ferencak were no longer a member of Voice-SD, the coalition would continue to function. "Even if he isn't part of the caucus, we'll still have 25 votes, and as Mr. Ferencak claims that he'll support the coalition, I believe the coalition will retain its 79 votes," remarked Rasi. He further commented on Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) claim that the Voice-SD parliamentary caucus has effectively collapsed due to the departure of a fourth MP. According to Rasi, such statements don't contribute to coalition stability. "Today is a big day – the [constitutional amendment] passed, energy aid was approved, and we expect fair treatment," he said, asserting that Voice-SD is a stable caucus, otherwise government proposals wouldn't be passed. mf/df