Monitor: Richter: Gov't May Seek Confidence Vote During Current House Session

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', 30 November) Although the Constitution's Act on Fiscal Responsibility does not specify when the government must ask Parliament for a vote of confidence once public debt reaches a critical threshold, the coalition has no interest in delaying the process unnecessarily and the vote may take place as early as during the current House session, Jan Richter, the head of the parliamentary caucus of the Smer-SD party, said on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. A week ago, the government's two-year exemption from the strictest debt brake penalties expired. One of these penalties is the obligation to request a parliamentary vote of confidence. "As far as I know, the Constitution does not state whether this must happen the next day or within a specific timeframe. But it is not in our interest to prolong or drag this out unnecessarily. I realistically expect that it may happen during this session," Richter declared. According to him, the request may take various forms. Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) may link the confidence vote to a specific government bill or to the opposition's motion of no confidence in the government, which is already on the agenda of the current parliamentary session and scheduled for Wednesday afternoon (3 December). Opposition's SaS leader Branislav Groehling, Richter's opposite number on the show, also believes the government will attach the confidence request to another proposal, although he considers this improper. "If the prime minister links it to something else, it is pure cowardice. Because he's not sure he would win a standalone confidence vote, as they are so divided and have so many problems... They do not have the courage to bring such a proposal to Parliament on its own," Groehling said. He announced that if the government delays the confidence request or chooses an inappropriate procedure, the opposition will turn to the Constitutional Court. Other filings are being prepared, also due to the long-term postponement of debates on opposition motions to dismiss individual ministers as well as the entire government. "We will see whether the no-confidence motions in individual ministers will once again be delayed. I think there is already a basis for approaching the Constitutional Court, because you cannot wait a year to express concerns regarding individual ministers," Groehling argued. Richter responded that whether Parliament will manage to debate these motions during the current session also depends on the opposition. Richter pointed out that debate on changes concerning the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers has already lasted a week and may continue for another. "Each session has a time limit. We extend it by a week each time; I expect the same now. But we cannot prolong it by two weeks, or we would be sitting here even over Christmas," he added. mf