On Wednesday, the governing coalition in Slovakia suffered a setback in parliament when its proposal to abolish postal voting for citizens living abroad fell to the end of the agenda due to an absent proposer.
The Rule Change Backfires
The coalition originally added a provision to the parliament’s rules of procedure to complicate matters for the opposition, dictating that a legislative item must move to the end of the program if no proposer is present in the hall during its review. Under the same mechanism, if a proposer is absent a second time during the same parliamentary session, the discussion is postponed for six months.
“Ja som hlboko presvedčený, že tam bola dohoda, že nechajú ten bod prepadnúť,” said Dostál member Ondrej Dostál, cited by Denník N, noting that the governing coalition lacked a secure majority and suffered low participation in the plenary on Wednesday.
“Nerozpadla sa im len väčšina, ale aj účasť v pléne. Je zjavné, že sú takí demoralizovaní po dnešnom hlasovaní o jedenástej, že už ani nevedia, čo nasleduje v programe,” said Zuzana Mesterová, chairwoman of the Progressive Slovakia parliamentary club.
Did You Know? In the 2023 parliamentary session, nearly 60,000 voters participated from abroad, with Progressive Slovakia capturing nearly 62 percent of those external ballots.
Dispute Over Presence and Legal Interpretation
The situation escalated because one of the designated proposers, Tibor Gašpar, was physically present in the chamber at the time but was presiding over the session from the chair.
“Na jednej strane je pravdou, že podľa zákona o rokovacom poriadku platí, že ak návrh zákona prepadlo, potom sa zaradí do programu schôdze zvolanej najskôr o šesť mesiacov.”
Gašpar requested that parliamentary speaker Richard Raši consult the constitutional-legal committee for an official interpretation of what constitutes physical presence when a proposer is simultaneously chairing the assembly.
Roman Michelko comments on coalition agenda management
Roman Michelko of the Slovak National Party stated to STVR, as noted in additional coverage, that while his party was prepared to support the measure, the coalition partners should have monitored the agenda more carefully.
“Boli sme pripravení to podporiť, ale toto je kľúčová vec pre predkladateľov, ktorí si to mali ustriehnuť. Ukazuje sa tu problematickosť rokovacieho poriadku v zmysle, že sa nedá odhadnúť dĺžka prerokovania jednotlivých bodov,” said Roman Michelko of the Slovak National Party to STVR, as noted in additional coverage, while rejecting notions of a political conspiracy behind the dropped bill.
“Voľba zo zahraničia nás v tejto chvíli až tak veľmi nepáli, lebo všetky argumenty už boli povedané. Voľba prepadla a teoreticky sa k nej môžeme vrátiť o šesť mesiacov,” said Dušan Jarjabek, a member of parliament for Smer, speaking to the Slovak Radio.
What voters and proposers must know
What exactly did the coalition want to change regarding voting?
The coalition proposed canceling postal voting from abroad and requiring citizens to vote in person at embassies, arguing that postal ballots cannot guarantee absolute ballot secrecy.
How did foreign voters cast ballots in the 2023 elections?
Voters registered in advance, received ballot papers with special envelopes, and returned them by post ahead of the designated deadline.
What does the procedural rule mandate when a proposer is missing?
If no proposer is present during a discussion, the item moves to the end of the program, and a second absence delays its consideration to a session called at least six months later.