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Danko expelled Mesterová from the hall, the meeting on voting from abroad was interrupted
🇸🇰 Slovakia /Elections & Politics

Danko expelled Mesterová from the hall, the meeting on voting from abroad was interrupted

From SME · (5m ago) Slovak Critical tone

Translated from Slovak, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A parliamentary session in Slovakia to discuss changes to voting for citizens abroad was interrupted.
  • The interruption occurred during a speech by Deputy Speaker Tibor Gašpar (Smer).
  • Opposition MPs from the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party brought a petition against the proposed changes into the chamber, leading to the expulsion of PS club leader Zuzana Mesterová by Chairman Andrej Danko.

SME (Slovakia)

the amendment is intended to change, not abolish, voting from abroad.

— Tibor GašparExplaining the purpose of the proposed changes to voting for citizens abroad.

The parliamentary session discussing the proposed changes to voting procedures for Slovaks abroad was abruptly halted, showcasing the deep divisions and heated political climate within the National Council of the Slovak Republic. The interruption, which occurred during Deputy Speaker Tibor Gašpar's (Smer) address, was instigated by opposition members of the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party who brought signatures from a petition against the proposed amendments into the chamber.

Previously, we voted by postal ballots, we propose a vote that will take place at our diplomatic missions.

— Tibor GašparDescribing the proposed shift in voting methods.

This act of protest, deemed a violation of parliamentary rules by Chairman Andrej Danko (SNS), led to the expulsion of PS club leader Zuzana Mesterová. Danko cited her disruption of the proceedings and the introduction of "visual aids" as grounds for her removal. This move highlights the escalating tensions and the often confrontational nature of parliamentary debate in Slovakia, where procedural rules can become a battleground for political disagreement.

You do not know with certainty to what extent the correspondence ballot is put into the envelope and the person registered as a voter expresses their opinion.

— Tibor GašparRaising concerns about the reliability and secrecy of postal voting.

Gašpar attempted to justify the proposed changes, arguing that the current postal voting system is unreliable and does not guarantee the directness and secrecy of elections. He pointed to the delayed arrival of ballots from the 2023 parliamentary elections as evidence. However, the opposition remains critical, viewing the proposed shift away from postal voting towards in-person voting at diplomatic missions as a potential barrier for citizens living abroad. The incident underscores the challenges in finding consensus on electoral reforms and the intense political maneuvering that often accompanies such discussions in Slovakia.

She is disrupting the course of the meeting and brought visual aids into the hall.

— Andrej DankoStating the reasons for expelling Zuzana Mesterová from the session.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by SME in Slovak. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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