BRATISLAVA, October 20, (WEBNOVINY) — The opposition SMER-SD party led by Robert Fico is prepared to support a small amendment to the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. The change is to enable President Ivan Gasparovic to dismiss the Cabinet of Iveta Radicova, which lost a confidence vote in parliament, and at the same time authorize her to remain at the helm of an interim Cabinet that will lead the country into early elections. SMER-SD Robert Fico announced this after a meeting with President Ivan Gasparovic on Thursday afternoon.
Later in the afternoon, leaders of the former ruling coalition parties are to meet with the president, who will inform them of the planned solution to the stalemate. “The governing coalition can do nothing but thank us,” the former prime minister remarked. He went on to say that members of the former coalition are responsible for the political crisis, as they were unable to agree on a Cabinet for the run-up until the early elections in March 2012.
Fico admits that an amendment to the constitution in expedited legislative procedure does not show that the parliamentary and constitutional system is stable and secure. In the current situation, however, he considers it the only solution for Slovakia to overcome the political crisis. “The Slovak Constitution does have some legislative loopholes that need some patching-up,” he noted.
The SMER-SD leader emphasized that the party would not participate in any reconstruction of the government, formation of a new one or formation of a caretaker government.
The Cabinet of Iveta Radicova fell after it lost a confidence vote joined with a vote on the eurozone bailout fund expansion on October 11. Since then, representatives of parliamentary political parties have not agreed on who would lead the country into early elections slated for March 10, 2012. Under the constitution, the president is required to dismiss a Cabinet that loses a confidence vote, but without a deadline. Moreover, the constitution does not specify the next steps.
SITA