Petition Sheets for Referendum Published, Pellegrini Invites Signatures
Bratislava, February 5 (TASR) – The petition committee supervising the collection of public signatures for a referendum on a snap election has approved the wording of the referendum question, and the petition sheets are now available at www.referendum2021.sk, committee representative Ervin Erdelyi told TASR on Friday.
Ex-premier, Independent MP and leader of Voice-SD Peter Pellegrini invited the public to sign, claiming that it’s not Voice-SD’s petition, but one of an apolitical committee. He declared that Voice-SD will help to collect signatures and invited others to do the same.
Erdelyi said that the petition committee was formed based on the initiative of political parties, social and professional organisations and representatives of NGOs. The referendum question approved by the committee is as follows: ‘Do you agree that the current Parliament’s term in office should be shortened so that a general election would be held within 180 days of the date on which the results of this referendum are announced?’
The committee is comprised of legal experts nominated by entities supporting the petition. Erdelyi also declared that it’s apolitical. It’s task is to approve the wording of the referendum question, decide on the form of the petition, communicate with the authorities and carry out a final inspection and count. “The collection of signatures itself will be carried out by political and social entities supporting the referendum,” said Erdelyi.
Pellegrini stated that the Government is incapable of governing the country and that it’s time to give people the chance to express themselves. “It isn’t just the fight against the pandemic that the Government can’t handle. What is happening in Slovakia deviates from European and world standards. It doesn’t reflect only falling support for the Government and specific politicians; it also has impacts on the Slovak economy,” he said.
Asked about the draft constitutional law on shortening the Government’s term in office that was rejected by Parliament on Friday, Pellegrini said that the authors only wanted to end the torment and give the Government a chance to leave honourably. He believes that the 350,000 signatures needed to initiate a referendum on an early election will be collected in record time.
