President Would Announce Referendum, If Constitution Is Amended

Bratislava, July 7 (TASR) – I would announce a referendum on an early election if Parliament decided to amend the Constitution and subsequently adopted a resolution requesting a referendum, President Zuzana Caputova said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The head of state described this as one of the possible solutions following the decision of the Constitutional Court according to which the proposed referendum question on shortening Parliament’s term in office is not in line with the Constitution.

The president pointed out that MPs can decide on holding an early election at any time. “But if they want to give the people a referendum, there is nothing to stop them from amending the Constitution and then adopting a resolution asking for an announcement of a referendum, and I’ll declare it immediately because it would be in line with the Constitution,” she said, noting that she perceives the consensus of political parties saying they’d support the referendum in question. Caputova pointed to the frustration and dissatisfaction of the people with the current political situation, which led many to sign the petition for a referendum.

Caputova asked the Constitutional Court whether or not the subject of the proposed referendum is in accordance with the Constitution, and, if so, how the relevant constitutional bodies should proceed after a valid referendum.

The petition for a referendum on a snap election was signed by more than 585,000 people. It was initiated by the opposition Smer-SD party, joined by the non-parliamentary Voice-SD and the Slovak National Party. All three parties claim that the proposed referendum is civil and apolitical.