PS Wants to Oust House Committee Chair Huliak Over Insulting Comments to Women

Bratislava, September 26 (TASR) - MP Rudolf Huliak (SNS) should be ousted from the post of House Agriculture and Environment Committee chair over his unacceptable and vulgar statements and opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) will file a motion to that effect, TASR learnt on Thursday. Committee vice-chair Tamara Stohlova (PS) warned that Huliak behaves in an inappropriate and incompetent manner even as the Committee chair. During a parliamentary debate on Wednesday (September 25), House Vice-chair Andrej Danko wanted to expel opposition MP Lucia Plavakova from the Chamber over a rainbow heart sticker on her laptop, which Danko saw as a promotion of LGBTI "ideology". Huliak subsequently insulted Plavakova in his speech. "If the lawmaker reads in her speech that a fetus doesn't deserve to live [she actually had said that a fetus is not the "subject of law" under the legal view and a verdict of the Constitutional Court -ed.note], then such a woman doesn't deserve anything but to be called a 'bitch'. She doesn't honour essential values given to the human race by God," declared Huliak and added that he doesn't "consider her to be a woman". When several opposition lawmakers subsequently urged Huliak to apologise, he replied: "I'll apologise to my bitch in my backyard." "I'm convinced that in any other democratic country, after making such statements a lawmaker would step down of his own volition and give up the legislator's mandate. However, MP Huliak obviously doesn't have any plans to do that," claimed Plavakova at a press conference on Thursday. Plavakova pointed out as the Committee chair, Huliak is supposed to represent the committee and it's unacceptable to have him carry out this role anymore. "In light of many statements of support I received yesterday from coalition lawmakers, whether in person or publicly, in which they condemned statements of MP Huliak, I hope that they'll support our proposal because it's actions that matter," she said. Plavakova plans to discuss support for the motion also with the coalition lawmakers because "there are legislators among them who are ashamed of SNS". MP Stohlova added that Huliak has been denigrating her over her supposedly young age [she's 35 - ed.note] on social networks, made sexists remarks towards her and often commented on her appearance. "A part of that inappropriate and harassing behaviour took place in the room where the Committee convenes its session, which Huliak chairs," claimed Stohlova and added that Huliak hasn't respected the Rules of Procedure nor deadlines to submit materials. mf/mcs