Danko Orders Plavakova Out of House Chamber for Having Stickers on Her Computer

Bratislava, September 25 (TASR) - House Vice-chair Andrej Danko (Slovak National Party/SNS) during the parliamentary debate on Wednesday took objection to the fact that opposition MP Lucia Plavakova (Progressive Slovakia/PS) was using a computer adorned with stickers in the parliamentary chamber, TASR learnt on the same day. Danko viewed this as advertising, which is at odds with Parliament's Rules of Procedure. He first asked Plavakova to remove the stickers from her computer. Following a 'verbal shoot-out', he decided to expel her from the chamber. Plavakova argued that she wasn't breaking the Rules of Procedure. "There are rainbows, LGBTI issues, there are stickers promoting firms," stated Danko when demanding that Plavakova should remove the stickers, continue working without her computer or cover the stickers up. He eventually ordered her out of the chamber. If an MP is ordered out in this way, it is viewed as an unexcused absence on the day in question. In line with the Rules of Procedure, it is forbidden to bring materials promoting "a political party or spreading advertising" into a House session. Subsequently, Danko asked House Vice-chair Peter Ziga (Voice-SD), who is currently in charge of managing Parliament, to convene a session of the parliamentary gremium that should deal with the issue of stickers on computers. ko/df