BRATISLAVA, September 17, (WEBNOVINY) — On the eve of the referendum, chairman of the SaS party Richard Sulik again urged voters to participate. „I would like here and now to ask every citizen to spare ten minutes of their time tomorrow, Saturday, to go to the polling room and express their opinion on the six questions. It is a constitutional right. We do not need immunity, do not need limousines, or 150-members of parliament. Citizens, it is simply and only in your hands. It’s your day,“ he said. As he further pointed out, the results of the referendum will be binding, according to prominent lawyers, without any doubt.
Sulik said he regrets the lukewarm approach of other parliamentary coalition parties, which according to him were unable to cross party lines. The opposition did not surprise him, though he dislikes their call on their voters to ignore the referendum. „On the other hand, I believe voters have enough common sense not to just listen to the politicians and would vote in the referendum anyway,“ he said.
The SaS spent EUR 130,000 for its campaign for the referendum. „We would we have spent more, but we do not have such budgets available for advertising as commercial companies,“ noted Minister of Economy for the SaS Juraj Miskov (SaS). They used one thousand billboards for the campaign and distributed 2.5 million leaflets, they ordered advertising in printed media, as well as spots on television and radio. The billboards present four of the six questions, with the greatest reach for most people. In addition, they placed banners on the Internet to promote the referendum. One of the last campaign events was sending mail with a description of the referendum to more than 500,000 addresses across Slovakia. „I am very sorry that the debate among politicians was not on the substantive content of the referendum,“ said Miskov.
Labor Minister Josef Mihal (SaS) stressed that voting in a referendum is a constitutional right of citizens and anyone who is against a referendum, is in his opinion, also against the Constitution. „I hope people realize that this is their basic constitutional right,“ he said. Culture Minister Daniel Krajcer (SaS) pointed out that in the past, politicians called for the participation in a referendum and reminded that this is a fundamental constitutional right. When they now do the opposite, it is a purely purposive step. He noted that even if theoretically the referendum was not valid, it will still be important as it will be an express of will of, for example, a million people who take part in the referendum. „I would like to look into the eyes of any politician who would not accept it,“ he said. Defense Minister Lubomir Galko (SaS) also joined the call on the people of Slovakia to participate in the referendum. „I want to ask the people who are not indifferent to how their [taxpayers’] money is managed to take the decision into their own hands,“ he said. In his opinion, even if turnout in the referendum will be lower than prescribed half of all eligible voters to be valid, politicians will not ignore it.
In the referendum, Slovakia’s citizens are asked to answer questions on cancellation of concessionaire fees paid to public service media, restriction of deputy immunity from prosecution, introduction of a cap on government limousines of EUR 40,000, introduction of on-line voting, and a change to the Election Act to reduce the number of members of parliament from 150 to 100 from the next election term.
SITA