Danko Didn't Rule Out that SNS Won't Support Draft on Whistleblowers Office If President Vetoes It

       Speaking on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday, Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman Andrej Danko said he doesn't rule out that his parliamentary caucus will abstain from voting on the bill to change the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) into a new office if President Peter Pellegrini doesn't sign it and returns it to Parliament.
        Danko further claimed that Pellegrini would thus "throw overboard" Voice-SD leader and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok. Christian Democrats (KDH) chair Milan Majersky, who was also on the show, once again criticised the bill. However, both of them concurred that it's necessary to discuss a number of other laws as well.
        "Slovakia needs a number of other laws. We have been dealing with the scrapping of the office for two weeks because that is what the coalition partners wanted. And today, the president says that he'll actually throw Matus Sutaj Estok overboard, that he won't sign it. ... If he does veto it, I'll look at the argument and I don't rule out that we'll then abstain [from the vote]," said Danko, criticising the head of state for his statements that he has nothing to do with the Voice-SD party or the coalition.
        Majersky welcomed Danko's stance on the bill. He agrees with him that there are many other bills in Parliament that need to be debated. "The government wasted two weeks discussing an office that was supposed to protect ordinary people," he noted, adding that he doesn't believe that the amendments to the bill will be sufficient to prevent Slovakia from running into problems with the European Commission. "I think this law should be withdrawn as soon as possible," said the KDH leader. Majersky agreed with Danko that the president has "washed his hands" of the Voice party. "But the voice of the Voice [party] is catching up with him," he added.