Matovic: Obstructions Designed to Postpone Debate on Special Prosecutor's Office

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - Representatives of the opposition Slovakia party on Thursday claimed that the reason why their speeches concerning the draft budget in Parliament last several hours is that their priority is to postpone the debate on scrapping the Special Prosecutor's Office, with party leader Igor Matovic claiming that he'll do his utmost to prevent the bill from being discussed in January so that it will dealt with several months later.

A total of three MPs from the coalition consisting of the Slovakia party, For the People and the Christian Union have taken the floor in the debate on the budget since Wednesday, with each of them speaking for more than five hours. "Every extra hour counts," noted Matovic in this regard.

Matovic rejected Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) concerns that if the budget is not approved by the end of the year, ordinary people will be negatively affected. "He can cover the expenditures for both energy price subsidies and his new invention with mortgage subsidies without the slightest problem," said Matovic, adding that a provisional budget wouldn't affect people's everyday lives and wouldn't hurt them.

According to Matovic, Fico is only scaring people with a provisional budget so that he can present a proposal on a way to "dismantle" the rule of law in Parliament in January. "His aim is to start the assassination of justice as soon as possible..." remarked Matovic.

Fico on Thursday accused the opposition of obstructing the ongoing parliamentary session, opining that the opposition has definitively chosen the path of destroying the state. According to Fico, the opposition's obstructions are designed to prevent Parliament from approving the draft budget for 2024. On this note, the premier warned that this could impact the lives of ordinary people in a grave manner. Nevertheless, Fico expressed his hope that the budget will be greenlighted before the end of 2023 and called on the opposition to stop the obstructions.