“If the model of the rule of law in Slovenia is that something will apply as long as it makes sense to a person in a certain position, instead of following what is written in the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia or in a law, then the state of the rule of law in Slovenia is worse than in Gaza,” opposition leader Janez Janša commented on the moves of the Speaker of the National Asssembly, who reversed the procedure so that the parties of the ruling coalition could recognise Palestine before the European elections.
After a tumultuous afternoon in the National Assembly, the President of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), Janez Janša, responded to what happened.
He pointed out that the Speaker of the National Assembly had announced that she would not allow the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly to be respected. He pointed out that “in the entire history of Slovenian parliamentarianism, it has never before happened that the Speaker of this legislative branch of power has announced in advance that the procedure is being manipulated,” as the Speaker of the National Assembly announced a change to the part of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia that refers to a 30-day time limit for the consideration of a proposal for a consultative referendum. “If you are going to change something, it means that it exists; and when they say that it exists, when they say that they are not going to allow it to be taken into account, they are simply making some decisions that are contrary to this procedure.”
Janša went on to point out that procedure in a democracy is the mother of the rule of law. “If you do not respect procedure, if you do not respect the law or the rules of procedure, which are adopted by a two-thirds majority, then there are no more rules. And there is simply no defence against that. Now, if there are no more rules, then the opposition can, for example, declare a majority and replace the Prime Minister,” Janez Janša was illustrative.
There are no reasonable legal grounds for the moves of the Speaker of the National Assembly
“There might even be some understanding for such a situation if Slovenia were in a state of emergency, if we were threatened by an epidemic, a pandemic, an external threat, a war, a natural disaster – then it would have made sense for some deadline to be broken, but none of that is the case here. It is an action which, whether you take it today or not, makes absolutely no difference,” he was clear.
He went on to point out that it was not only a provision of the Rules of Procedure, which was written in such a way, but that it was also a matter of the fact that, until now, this provision had been strictly implemented. “This 30-day deadline was also respected during the pandemic, when those who are now claiming that implementing it is an abuse of the Rules of Procedure submitted such proposals for consultative referendums en masse, and we waited calmly for the deadlines to pass. Even though we were talking about things and measures intended to save the health and lives of people in Slovenia, we did not accuse the opposition of supporting genocide at that time,” the SDS party President was clear.
In his conclusion, he noted that he believes that the Speaker of the National Assembly may think that some things do not make sense, but… “If the model of the rule of law in Slovenia is that something will apply as long as it makes sense to a person in a certain position, instead of following what is written in the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia or in a law, then the state of the rule of law in Slovenia is worse than in Gaza.”
C. Š.
