PS and SaS: House Debate on Scrapping of USP Postponed to January

Bratislava, December 20 (TASR) - Parliamentary discussion on changes to the Penal Code, designed to effectuate the scrapping of the Special Prosecutor's Office, has been postponed to January, opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) and SaS parties announced on Wednesday, adding that this is a victory for everyone who cares about the future of Slovakia. House Chair Peter Pellegrini (Voice-SD) stated that he would like Parliament to discuss the 2024 state budget and three Government-sponsored bills by Christmas. Subsequently, the House session should be adjourned and reconvened as of January 8. PS calls this the first defeat of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). "He really wanted to abolish the Special Prosecutor's Office and reduce punishments for corruption already before Christmas, as a gift to his oligarchs. But crowds in squares and resolute fight in Parliament forced him to step back, and that's something they hadn't expected even in their wildest imagination," said PS chair Michal Simecka. According to SaS, it is the success for everyone who cares about the future of Slovakia. "The coalition planned to tacitly and at the greatest haste possible approve the scrapping of the Special Prosecutor's Office as early as before Christmas. But the united and mostly persistent resistance of the opposition in the form of parliamentary filibuster, complemented by mass protests in the streets, forced the coalition to postpone the proposal to abolish the Special Prosecutor's Office," claimed SaS caucus chair Branislav Groehling. The opposition intends to continue the protests also in the next year. mf