Majersky: KDH Not Strong Enough Now to Push through Conscientious Objection

Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has deceived the entire nation with regard to conscientious objection, as he didn't submit the proposal to Parliament despite having declared his willingness to address this issue before the vote on the constitutional amendment, leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) Milan Majersky said in an end-of-year interview for TASR, adding that KDH isn't strong enough to push through the conscientious objection. According to him, KDH sought support for the proposal, but at present there's no political will. "Robert Fico has deceived the entire nation. He said that once the amendment to the Slovak Constitution passed, conscientious objection would follow. But suddenly, when he was supposed to submit it to Parliament, he backed down and said there would be no conscientious objection. This at least shows us what kind of person Fico is and whether or not he's a man of his word," stated Majersky. According to him, KDH currently lacks the power to push the proposal through. "Head of the KDH parliamentary caucus Igor Janckulik spoke with Jan Richter, the head of the Smer-SD caucus, but there's currently no political will. Where there's no will, there's no way for the law to be adopted," explained Majersky. In his opinion, other opposition parties wouldn't have a problem with the conscientious objection. "It's actually a liberal thing; it's about freedom of conscience. When we discussed the Constitution with other opposition parties, they told us they wouldn't have the slightest problem voting for the conscientious objection," said Majersky, adding that this concept works in other countries as well. "In France, for example, employees can invoke conscientious objection if their employer forces them to work on Sunday," explained Majersky. jrg