President: Quality of Lawmaking Process Poor in Slovakia (2)

Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - The quality of the legislative process and the drafting of new laws in Slovakia is poor, stated President Peter Pellegrini at a press conference after meeting House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) on Wednesday. Pellegrini called on the government and Parliament to return to a standard legislative process. The head of state also criticised the misuse of fast-track legislative procedures and the addition of unrelated amendments to laws. The president added that from now on he'll carefully review such legislative 'riders' and veto them. "Unfortunately, following the example of the previous government, we are also witnessing an extremely high number of fast-track legislative procedures under this governing coalition ... I have the feeling that fast-track procedures are often being misused or used because ministry officials don't prepare legislation sufficiently in advance," said Pellegrini. As for unrelated amendments attached to bills, the president said that when signing such additions he's always prioritised substance over form, but after the latest parliamentary session this approach has reached its limits. "I want to warn both Parliament and the government in advance that I'll very carefully and consistently monitor whether the conditions for adopting something under a fast-track procedure have been met, and whether any attachment, which is a breach of legislative rules, can or cannot be approved and signed, and whether it even makes sense in relation to the originally proposed law," the president stated. Pellegrini said that in such cases he'll propose removing these 'riders' or veto the bills as a whole. "Otherwise, the quality of the legislative process in Slovakia will only deteriorate further," he added. He also noted that on Tuesday (17 March) he approved a similar type of law — on funeral services and war graves — with two amendments. One concerned deadlines required for the successful use of recovery plan funds, while the other proposed repealing the law that had abolished the Whistleblower Protection Office (UOO). House Chair Richard Rasi agreed with the president that shortened legislative procedures and last-minute amendments don't enhance the credibility of any institution. "I take this not only as a call on my own ranks, on the lawmakers of Parliament, but also as a call on the government, because fast-track legislative procedures have their parameters and reasons," said Rasi. "I believe that the government will also take this to heart and submit fast-track legislative procedures only in genuinely necessary cases," he added. The president also pointed to the declining quality of debate in Parliament, noting that discussions of arguments and facts have disappeared. He expressed hope that the new Rules of Procedure and the ethics code will improve conditions. "The new Rules of Procedure also mean that the opposition can obstruct, as it has the right to, but the opposition cannot paralyse Parliament. Parliament is a legislative body that approves legislation and must function," stressed Rasi. The head of state underlined that the opposition has the right to debate its proposals, and this should be allowed. He criticised the coalition for abusing its majority to block discussions on motions to dismiss individual ministers, the government or the prime minister. "If the opposition collects the required number of MPs' signatures and meets the procedural rules, it has the right to debate its proposals to dismiss any government member," said Pellegrini, adding that the coalition must tolerate such motions. "If the governing coalition holds a majority, there is no reason to delay or misuse its power to prevent the opposition from exercising standard opposition politics. A proposal to dismiss a minister, followed by an unsuccessful vote, doesn't harm the coalition," the president stated. Rasi added that Voice–SD MPs were prepared to discuss motions of no-confidence, but proposals were delayed at the request of coalition partners. The meeting also addressed the constitutional law on the debt brake, despite which the government has so far not requested a confidence vote in Parliament. "It would be a considerable shame if the government, which resists such an act, ultimately had to request the House to express confidence because the Constitutional Court ordered it to do so," said Pellegrini, who sees no reason for delaying the vote if the coalition commands a majority. "All these approaches by the governing coalition in Parliament may come back to haunt them if they end up in opposition following the next election. Then they'll face the same behaviour from a new governing coalition, and they won't like that," the president warned. He appealed for a return to standard parliamentary democratic behaviour in which the opposition exercises its rights and the coalition its majority. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the last 11 paragraphs mf/df