The government's package of measures - aimed at easing tensions and preventing future violent acts, for example, by housing the top 3 constitutional officials and protecting leaders of parties that made it to Parliament. Jan Richter, head of the Smer-SD parliamentary club:
“Of course it is also about measures to prevent or avoid similar accidents.”
Gabor Grendel from the opposition Movement Slovensko argues that the approved measures could help: „This is not Lex-assassination, this is Lex-potentate as the only thing that matters in it is to secure a parliamentary salary for the rest of Robert Fico’s life. None of those measures, if they had been in force at the time of that government meeting in Handlova, would have prevented the assassination attempt.“
Even after the adoption of the changes, the opposition criticises the lifetime salary for Prime Minister Robert Fico and the restrictions on the right of assembly. A number of parties are considering taking the law to the Constitutional Court.
Michal Bartek from coalition Hlas-SD thinks that a life annuity in the case of double prime ministers and prime ministers is appropriate: “This kind of measure has already been applicable in the case of the President and I think that Presidents are not that polarising for society.”
Opposition Progresivne Slovensko lacks an analysis of how the assassination may have occurred. According to Zuzana Stevulova, the restriction of the assembly in front of the houses of the people involved and the disruption of a competing assembly - at the time of another protest - is on the edge of constitutionality: “These are two significant restrictions which, in our opinion, according to the established case law of the European Court of Human Rights, cannot be passed and appear to be a violation of constitutional law.”
She also recalled a letter from MPs from the OSCE who criticised this part of the changes.
The coalition denies claims that it is interested in restricting assemblies. On the contrary, it wants to ensure their peaceful conduct. Tibor Gaspar claims that the package of measures is intended to create a safer environment for its implementation. MPs are already talking about other measures that should come in the autumn, Andrej Danko-SNS: “After this summer, another package of laws included in Lex-assassination will follow.”
Maria Kolíková, MP for opposition SaS spoke about its abuse: “And an encroachment on fundamental political rights on which democracy is built and for which we stood in the squares in 1989.”
Tibor Gaspar-Smer-SD adds that it will no longer be a short track legislative procedure: “Criminal law may again be affected, perhaps by some new offence, the Misdemeanours Act may be affected, because of speech on the Internet, which I think will trigger discussion.”
MPs also passed certain staff changes. Tibor Gaspar will become a new parliamentary Vice-Chair as Lubos Blaha leaves for his MEP mandate in Brussels.
At the same time, Maria Kolikova was dismissed from her position as the head of the committee for the control of secret service (SIS) activities and Michal Sipos – Hnutie Slovensko from the head of the committee for public administration and regional development.
RTVS
