Whether the amendment to the rules of procedure of the parliament will lead to the cultivation of the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic, only practice will show. Some MPs are very innovative and always come up with ideas to freshen up the negotiations. This was pointed out by political scientist Aneta Világi from the Comenius University in Bratislava. She stated this in the Studio TASR program regarding the amendment to the rules of procedure, which has, for example, prohibit the use of posters and banners in the hall and define the so-called a discreet zone around the lectern.
“Deputies do not need posters or expressly occupy the lectern to cause some conflict or discord. We had the opportunity to see it at the December meeting, where a conflict broke out within the parliamentary benches. There was no need for a poster at all. An empty plastic bottle was enough, as far as I remember. So this is something that can happen again, because action begets reaction,” she noted.
The political scientist called the creation of a sanitary cordon around the speaker’s desk a step in the right direction. “That part of the performance of the deputy’s mandate, when the deputy reacts, gives a lecture, speaks orally about his work and proposals, is important. Various entrances into it or interruptions of the speech are in a certain way a fundamental disruption of the performance of the MP’s work as such,” she commented.
In addition to specifying undesirable behavior, the modification also brings more severe punishments. The expulsion of a deputy from the hall will no longer be sanctioned by one unjustified day, but by the loss of a month’s salary. Világi considers this financial penalty a powerful tool. However, he perceives the mechanism of awarding punishments and possible appeals as problematic.
She misses the fact that the amendment does not specify the authority that would assess the adequacy of the report from the hall, which is decided by the chairman in the NR SR. “For such sanctions or proposed sanctions abroad, there is usually a certain committee to which you can appeal as a member of parliament when you feel that your case has been decided unfairly,” she clarified.
The amendment also sets the length of time for the debate on the agenda item to a maximum of 37.5 hours. The political scientist drew attention to the fact that some other European countries also set a time frame for negotiating proposals. However, according to her, the mechanisms are usually more flexible in this regard and do not specify a strict time limit. She pointed out at the same time that the new mechanism gives parliamentary clubs more power.
“We are giving one more tool for the parliamentary club, i.e. the political party, to correct individual MPs in a certain way, because it will actually be up to the parliamentary club how much time it will give to its own and to which parliamentarian in the plenary session,” she explained.
Deputies of the NR SR will follow the new rules at the next meeting, which will begin on May 26. The amendment to the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament entered into force on May 15. It brings several changes. For example, it introduces a maximum length of time for debate on an agenda item. It also specifies the undesirable behavior of deputies and tightens the sanctions.
