Simecka: Migal and I Agree That Rasi Not Good Candidate for House Chair (2)

Bratislava, March 10 (TASR) - Opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka on Monday met MP Samuel Migal, who, along with MP Radomir Salitros (both Independent), were expelled from the Voice-SD party, to discuss the situation in Parliament and the election of the House chair, with Simecka stating that they agreed that Investments Minister Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) isn't a good candidate for the post. Simecka claimed that the government is completely paralysed. "It's pulling us away from Europe and pushing us towards Russia. This not only threatens our prosperity but also our security and everything we have built over the past 35 years. We must fight for every opportunity to stop them. This is a critical moment for deciding where we'll belong. I said this to MP Migal today, who, along with his two colleagues, Radomir Salitros and Jan Ferencak (Voice-SD), can help decide," PS leader wrote on social media. In addition to Simecka, the meeting was also attended by PS caucus head Martin Dubeci. Samuel Migal stated on social media that he believes the wars between the coalition and the opposition will eventually end and that the opposing side's opinion will no longer be considered wrong without first being heard. He also pointed out that MPs in Parliament represent not only those who voted for them but also those who didn't. "Today I had a very good discussion with the leader of the opposition and PS parliamentary caucus head. We spoke about the current domestic political situation, including the topics that unite and divide us. The fact is that a large number of points that the coalition has in its manifesto have a great deal of overlap with the programmes of the opposition parties and vice-versa," stated Migal. The MP said that if he's unable to find a mechanism to continue supporting the coalition, he would like to at least "build bridges" between the coalition and the opposition. "And if we find a common path, I'll be very happy to persuade the coalition partners that it's important to listen to the 'competition' as well," he added. The post of House chair has been vacant since April 2024, when the then chair, Peter Pellegrini, won the presidential election. According to the coalition agreement, the post belongs to Voice-SD, which has nominated its party vice-chairman, Richard Rasi. Coalition representatives have mentioned that a special session could be held soon to elect the House chair and resolve other personnel appointments. They also reiterated that the election could take place only after an agreement is reached among the majority of coalition MPs on a single nominee. However, the session has not yet been called. Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated at the weekend that he doesn't consider the election of the House chair to be crucial at this time. He also warned that anything could happen in a secret vote and said that he doesn't understand why Rasi is willing to take that risk. lin/df