Parliament Spends Another Day Debating Consolidation Measures

Bratislava, December 14 (TASR) - Parliament spent the sixth day of its current session on Thursday discussing the Government-sponsored consolidation measures package, with the debate dragging on since Tuesday (December 12). Opposition MP Lubomir Galko (Slovakia-For the People-KU) spent more than an hour reading the almost 30 pages of an amending proposal in their entirety and requested each of its 200 points to be put to an individual vote. Two more speakers are slated to address the Chamber after Galko's speech. In a Thursday vote, lawmakers decided to continue the debate until midnight. In addition, they decided to make Monday (December 18) a deliberation day, a departure from the parliamentary norm. Parliament also chose to deliberate on the 2024 state budget in a fast-track procedure as well, scheduled straight after the vote on the consolidation measures. The debate on the so-called consolidation measures package, sponsored by the Government, has been deadlocked for the third day in a row. The opposition is employing filibuster tactics, attempting to prolong the debate with the aim of having the Government withdraw the bill on the scrapping of the Special Prosecutor's Office and changes to the Whistleblowers Protection Act. The opposition maintains that these bills erode the rule of law and have been put on the agenda in a fast-track procedure, without any expert discussion. mf