On Wednesday evening, 79 coalition MPs elected Richard Raši (Hlas-SD) as the new head of Parliament. The post has been vacant since April 2024, when the then-head of Parliament, Peter Pellegrini, won the presidential election. House Vice-chair Peter Žiga (Hlas-SD) was entrusted with the management of Parliament in the interim.
President Peter Pellegrini posted on a social network claiming that he welcomes the fact that Slovakia once again has three duly-elected senior constitutional officials.
According to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), the election of Raši as parliamentary chair is the completion of a difficult path leading to the stabilisation of the governing coalition. On Wednesday, Fico stated that “The election of the House chair with 79 votes also means that the governing coalition is returning to its original tracks."
Hlas-SD leader and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Estok is convinced that the new House chair meets the moral, professional and expert qualities for this post.
Leader of the Slovak National Party (SNS) and Parliamentary Vice-chair Andrej Danko wished Raši to be as good a House chair as late Smer-SD party member Pavol Paška was.
The opposition verifiers did not sign the minutes of the election of the Speaker. They claim that the election was not held by secret ballot.
PS MP Zuzana Mesterová said in the plenary that Igor Šimko, a Hlas-SD member, controlled how the coalition MPs voted. She therefore asks the Constitutional Law Committee for a review. Smer-SD MP Zuzana Plevíková in reaction said that she can confirm that Šimko did not control anybody, everything ran in accordance with the law. “But Mrs MP has probably had too much coffee or energy drinks,” she commented.
Richard Raši thanked all the MPs who had cast their votes in his favour. He wants to be the guarantor of the protection of municipalities, he also promised to bring decency back to the House. “And factual arguments based on data not on personal attacks,” added the new Parliamentary Chairman.
Source: TASR, Slovenský rozhlas
