Pellegrini: Opposition Putting on Show, Not Interested in Solutions
Bratislava, February 11 (TASR) – The extraordinary session of Parliament focusing on issues of health care and education is just a pre-election show by the Opposition and not an honest effort to address issues in the sectors, said Parliamentary Chairman Peter Pellegrini prior to opening the session at the third attempt on Thursday.
According to Pellegrini, if the session were a priority for the Opposition, they would all have come to the session from the outset and it would have opened without any problems. The session was opened at only the third try after two failed attempts. A total of 76 MPs are required to open the session, and Smer-SD provided only ten votes on both tries.
“To convene an extraordinary session that would bind the Government to address issues immediately when 95 percent of those things are only of a blueprint nature that will have to be prepared by the new government [indicates that] this is only a show by the Opposition. We must show that this is only a feature of a pre-election struggle and not a matter of honest interest to push things through for the better,” said Pellegrini.
At the first attempt 67 MPs were present in the chamber, while in the second count there were 72.
The call for the session was initiated by the signatures of 35 Opposition MPs. Despite the fact that Smer MPs were present in the chamber, there were only ten of them.
“We offered ten Smer votes. If the Opposition had come to work in full numbers as it should have, the session would have reached a quorum. They are declaring that these are top topics for them that they care about, but they don’t come to work. There was a need to show that it isn’t enough to babble to the media and present yourselves as the saviours of a certain group of people. You need to come to work as well,” said Pellegrini.
The Opposition MPs demanded that representatives of nurses and teachers should be able to take the floor in the chamber, claiming that this is possible under certain circumstances. Smer rejected this proposal in a vote, however.
