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Sulik: Thank You, Mr.Fico, for Running Campaign for Referendum
Wednesday 25 August 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, August 25 (TASR) - "I would like to thank Smer-SD Chairman and former prime minister Robert Fico for promoting the referendum, and I hope this will help to attract more voters," said Parliamentary Chairman Richard Sulik (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) on Wednesday in response to Fico's criticism of Sulik's actions connected to the referendum.
"We have nominated more than 6,000 people to the district commissions. We have nominated them because it is necessary to oversee the referendum exactly at this level," said Sulik, who admitted he might have used the word "influence" when speaking about district representatives to be important because they can contribute to the control of the referendum. Sulik said he used the word meaning they can "oversee the referendum so that nobody will be able to manipulate the results".
"By contrast to Smer-SD, SaS has never been suspected of buying the votes of the Roma minority, such as Smer-SD was in the higher territorial units (VUC) election in Presov region in November 2009," stated Sulik.
He considers it to be 'moving' how Fico cares about who is the second-highest political office in the country. "As a reason, a single word (influence), taken out of context is sufficient for him ... it's striking that the same Robert Fico did not act the same way when my predecessor (former parliamentary chairman Pavol Paska, of Smer) deliberately changed the text of already passed law on social insurance," he stated.
Sulik also commented on Fico's criticism concerning Sulik's approach to diplomatic protocol. "As far as the reservations towards my approach to protocol are concerned, I would like to remind Mr. Fico that it wasn't me who was hugging his lover at the Vienna airport while dressed only in underwear. I wasn't making out with her," said Sulik, referring to a six-year-old series of photographs. Sulik added that he does not understand how a sane adult can make out in underwear in an airport parking lot.
SaS chair also said it is true that his party did not nominate people in the regional election committees. "Out of 50 regional electoral commissions, we have nominated our people in only five. Based on our experience from three past elections we know that these commissions are not crucial for the final results, therefore we placed the people who would have been in the regional to the district commissions," he explained, adding that as far as the party's nominee for the Central Electoral Commission (UVK), SaS made a mistake. "Alas, we didn't make it on time," he stated.
Fico announced earlier on Wednesday that his party will initiate a no-confidence vote in Sulik in parliament. He said the reason for this action is mostly the approach of Sulik's party towards the referendum (planned for September 18 and initiated by SaS), as well as a host of other transgressions. "We are launching all the steps needed to summon an extraordinary session of Parliament to deal with the proposal to dismiss him. What Mr. Sulik is doing is gravely endangering the legal system and he is earnestly degrading democracy. Smer-SD cannot respect the Parliamentary Chairman to be a person who mistakes his actions in politics with irresponsible fun," stated Fico.
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