SLOVAKIAN GOVERNMENT, LED BY FASCIST CRITICS OF UKRAINE AND JOURNALISTS, SURVIVES MANDATORY CONFIDENCE VOTE
The plan approved by Fico’s coalition government calls for the abolition of the special prosecutor’s office, which deals with serious crimes such as corruption, organized crime and extremism. These instances would be dealt with through the prosecutors of the regional offices, who have dealt with such crimes for 20 years.
The planned adjustments also entail relief from the consequences of corruption and other crimes, adding the option of suspended sentences and a significant reduction in statutes of limitations.
Protests against plans to amend Slovakia’s criminal code have gained momentum in the Eastern European country.
Thursday’s protests took place in two dozen cities and towns, including the capital, and also spread to Prague and Brno in the Czech Republic, Krakow in Poland and Paris.
“We’re not ready to give up,” Michal Šimečka, who heads the liberal Progressive Slovakia, the strongest opposition party, told the big crowd that filled the central SNP square in Bratislava.
“We’re going to increase the pressure,” Šimečka said. We will stand up for justice and freedom in our country,” he said.
“Mafia, mafia” and “Fico gangster,” others chanted.
On Thursday, the ruling coalition voted in favor of a fast-track parliamentary procedure to approve the changes. This means that the bill will not be tested by experts and other stakeholders in regular legislative procedures.
The coalition also voted to restrict debate in the first of three parliamentary readings. The opposition condemned the decision.
“They have to silence us in parliament, but they won’t silence all of you,” Šimečka said.
The second reading, in which changes will likely be made to the bill, could take place as early as next Wednesday, while the final vote is not possible until the end of next week.
President Zuzana Čaputová said the proposed changes jeopardize the rule of law and cause “unpredictable” damage to society.
The European Parliament also has Slovakia’s ability to fight corruption if the adjustments are adopted. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said Slovakia’s plans threaten the EU’s monetary interest hedge and its anti-corruption framework.
Čaputová declared herself in a position to challenge the constitutionality of the legislation. It is not transparent how the Constitutional Court can decide.
Fico returned to the force for the fourth time after his scandal-plagued left won the Sept. 30 parliamentary election on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform.
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A number of people linked to the party face prosecution in corruption scandals.
Fico’s critics fear his return could lead Slovakia to abandon its pro-Western trajectory and stick to Hungary’s leadership under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.