Opposition Calls on President to Veto Amendment to Law on NGOs

Bratislava, April 16 (TASR) - The opposition has called on President Peter Pellegrini to veto the amendment to the law on non-profit organisations, which MPs approved on Wednesday as, according to them, the coalition wants this law to penalise, bully and punish active citizens just for working in the non-governmental sector and for replacing the state in many areas where it hasn't been functioning for years. Opposition MPs also pointed out that the proposal was approved by the coalition a year after it was tabled. "They keep repeating how much they appreciate the 'good' NGOs that do social or charitable work and that only the 'bad' NGOs get in their way. That is, those that dare to be critical of the government. However, this Russian law, of course, affects everyone. For example, mothers who use their NGO to provide a better life for their disabled children will also pay the price," said MP Lucia Plavakova (Progressive Slovakia/PS). PS said that the amendment is unconstitutional and called on President Peter Pellegrini not to sign the law and not to participate in the destruction of the NGO sector. MP Ondrej Dostal (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) described the proposal as Russian and objected that there was no proper discussion on it, criticising Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) for not putting to the vote the procedural motions of opposition MPs, which were related to the vote. SaS will join the opposition partners in their proposal to appeal to the Constitutional Court. "The governing coalition in Parliament has just passed a perverse Russian law that aims to bully people who help in the non-profit sector, care for the sick, the poor, or youth," MP and 'For the People' leader Veronika Remisova said in a statement, noting that the legislative process of this amendment shows that it is a hastily prepared revenge against civil society. "We call on President Peter Pellegrini to veto this shameful law of the coalition and, as the honorary chairman and founder of the Voice party, to ensure that his MPs won't vote to override the veto," added Remisova. am