BRATISLAVA, December 29, (WEBNOVINY) — President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gasparovic considers the collapse of the government in October as not being good news for citizens or Slovakia, mainly in relation to the European Union and in a situation of economic crisis. The president knew that the government would end even before it actually collapsed. However, based on an agreement with Prime Minister Iveta Radicova, she was supposed to deliver to the president her resignation. “The prime minister met me before I went to Indonesia and said she wanted to deliver me her resignation. After a conversation with her, in which we agreed everything that has to be done in order to keep the government together, we decided that she would continue to talk to mainly representatives of the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party. I have to say that during my stay abroad, she informed me every day several times on the phone how the talks were progressing,” President Ivan Gasparovic stated in an interview for SITA news agency. He spoke about how he perceived the dramatic political developments linked to the parliamentary vote on extension of the European Financial Stability Facility in October.
The president therefore did not suppose that the prime minister would connect the vote on October 11 on increasing guarantees and extending competencies of the European Financial Stabilization Facility with a vote of confidence. He learnt about this during his official visit of Indonesia. President Gasparovic therefore dismissed the whole Cabinet on October 14 and Slovak Parliament decided that early elections would be on March 10, 2012.
The fact that the government will not be stable was clear right after it was appointed after elections in June 2010. “Some opinions on functioning of Slovakia in relation to the European Union, some opinions of deputies and signals that somebody tried to bribe them and looked for a kind of popularity, showed that the government would need a really strong hand of the prime minister that would ensure a political agreement in favor of Slovakia,” he emphasized.
The amendment to the Slovak Constitution, which enabled the government to function until early elections after it lost a confidence vote, added new powers to the president. This, however, does not mean establishment of a kind of semi-presidential system in Slovakia, Ivan Gasparovic stated. “Our republic is a parliamentary democracy where the power is divided among parliament, the Cabinet, and the president. Yes, the amendment to the Constitution, or the supplement to the Constitution means I was given more powers and have more active control over the Cabinet,” the president stated. The mandate of the interim Cabinet is limited. Some constitutional functions are denied totally to the Cabinet that lost confidence and competencies resulting from laws can only be performed with consent of the head of the state.
The president can, as Ivan Gasparovic says, tell the interim Cabinet what it mustn’t decide about but on the other hand he cannot ban the government to decide about those issues which it fulfilled in relation to parliament, i.e. to submit draft bills. “But this means I have much bigger responsibility. Responsibility even for some activities, which I think I would not have to have but this was decided by representatives of political parties as they incorporated them in the Constitution, for example, permitting foreign visits to Cabinet ministers or state secretaries.” According to the head of the state, a semi-presidential system would be different. Within this kind of system, the president would naturally perform legislative activities; he would not merely have the right to veto bills and return them to parliament, but to also initiate legislation as well.
The president thinks the Slovak Constitution does not need to be reopened. “It is a Constitution that is modern and good. But naturally, life brings about events that are not anticipated by you or the maker of the Constitution when he prepared the Constitution,” Gasparovic emphasized. This is also proved by the crisis on the political scene after the government collapsed that resulted in the recent amendment to the Constitution. Stronger powers of the president are only temporary and will end when a legitimate Cabinet is appointed after the elections, reminded the president who is convinced that such a risk will not occur in the future. Whether this will happen depends only on political parties and mainly on voters who are, however, quite passive in Slovakia in the last few months. The president added in the interview for SITA that he believes the autumn crisis on the political scene will provoke voters and make them realize we need a stable government.
SITA