The constitution celebrates 29 years: It is a guarantee of the rule of law and certainty, agree politicians – Topky

The head of state emphasized that with the adoption of the basic law of the state in 1992 by the Slovak National Council, we committed not only this act, but especially the letter and the spirit of the constitution to the values of a legal, democratic and sovereign state. . TASR was informed about this by the spokesman of the President of the Slovak Republic Martin Strižinec.

Source: Topky / Ján Zemiar

“We are celebrating this year’s Day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic at a time when the constitutional text and its interpretation in the form of a decision of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic have significantly entered social and political events in Slovakia,” said the president. She reminded that on the basis of the constitution, the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic twice suspended the effectiveness of the decree regulating the regime at the borders. He also decided that the method of prolonging the state of emergency was in accordance with the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. In the case of lawyer Martin R., he again abolished his prosecution on the basis of the constitution. Also in the matter of the initiative concerning the constitutionality of the referendum, he decided that the conduct of the referendum with the question as formulated by the Committee on Petitions is not in accordance with the Constitution of the Slovak Republic.

The building of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic

“Many people expected other decisions from the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic and expressed their dissatisfaction in ways that go beyond the framework of cultivated civic debate. , “ said the head of state. As she added, everything else they disagree with is declared unconstitutional. “The situation where personal dissent is pretended to be unconstitutional is in stark contrast to what the Constitution of the Slovak Republic requires of us as citizens. In a democratic establishment, the constitution is the highest law that must be respected even when its provisions are an obstacle. in fulfilling group political or personal ambitions, ” concluded Čaputová.

Heger: The Constitution of the Slovak Republic is the crown of our law, it speaks of our values

The Constitution of the Slovak Republic is the crown of our law. He talks about our values and sets the rules in society. This was stated by Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽANO) in his speech on the Day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. “When citizens and public authorities behave as required by the constitution, we will live in a free and just country where the law rules. We will live in a country where the spirit of tolerance and cooperation prevails,“said the prime minister. No company can, according to him, survive without cooperation, not even ours.

“I’m not afraid of discussion, I’m not afraid of controversy. The best solutions will only be born when we talk together.” Heger said, fearing that fruitful discussion and factual controversy would try to push hatred, reluctance to listen to each other, malice, but also purposeful manipulation of the facts from our lives.. “Let’s not allow it. Let’s keep our hearts and heads open. Let’s listen to each other. Let’s not be mean and elevated to each other. Let’s respect each other.” said the prime minister.

According to him, in a quarrelsome, divided, uncooperative society, people cannot be happy. “And yet we want to be happy. We want to live a happy life in a state that works. After all, we founded this state, and that’s why we adopted a constitution that is 29 years old today,” stated. He added that he feels a commitment to fulfill the values of the constitution through daily work and to subject the government’s decisions to the constitutional rules. It intends to continue to sharpen the edges of the political scene and strengthen the spirit of cooperation of our society.

SaS, OĽaNO and For people

The SaS does not consider it right to change the constitution often, but recalls the commitments made in the government’s program statement. We family considers constitutional changes necessary due to the changing situation in the country. The For People page is open to discussions about its changes. We should respect the institute and not make it a bursting calendar, the SaS party recalls.

“We do not consider it a report to change the constitution by partial laws. It should be on one date. However, it is a fact that we are part of the coalition and we have to deal with some issues. it is an important document, “ reminded Anna Zemanová, chairwoman of the SaS parliamentary group. Many of the problems we face are due to the fact that the constitution and laws are not being properly observed.

“The constitution is the basic and at the same time the highest law of the state, so it is important that we pay due attention to this day,” recalled the We Are Family movement.

According to the OĽANO movement, the day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic should be an opportunity for all political parties to reflect on their relationship to this basic document. “During previous sets, we have witnessed the same politicians who had their mouths full of soaring phrases about the meaning of the constitution shamefully violated it at first opportunity for personal gain. Our movement has been doing everything in its power to ensure that the constitution and laws they paid not only on paper, but they fully ensured justice for all citizens of the Slovak Republic,“said Peter Dojčan from the movement ‘s media team.

According to the party We can really imagine the fundamental significance of the constitution for the people only if we consider it not only a law, but a set of principles according to which we must follow not only in our own interest, but in the interest of society and the state as a whole. “The Party for People Respectfully approaches any initiative that seeks to change it, especially those that are not intended to deepen its importance and strengthen its principles, but are approached for purely political and greedy reasons,“reported from the press office of the party.

“We realize that with the changes that will inevitably occur in society, there must in some cases be a change in the constitution, an amendment to it. Precisely so that it can continue to fulfill its mission fully. We will always be open to discussions about such changes.” the party stated.

Blanár: Due to the current government, we must increasingly take the Constitution into our hands

Juraj Blanár, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and the Smer-SD Party, also commented on the Day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. “The Constitution of the Slovak Republic is relatively young compared to other democratic states, but many people took it only as a bundle of laws. rights, “ stated Blanár.

According to him, the Constitution of the Slovak Republic should guarantee everyone that it will not be extradited to the will of state bodies. “Unfortunately, on the 29th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, we must state that the role of the Slovak Social Democrats is to protect not only the welfare state, but also the rule of law, including constitutionality,” he says.

Non-attached deputies of the National Council of the Slovak Republic around Petr Pellegrini, working in the Hlas-SD party, added that the adoption of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic meant the completion of the emancipation efforts of Slovaks. They stated that Slovakia also sent a signal to the world that it would be a democratic and welfare state built on respect for democratic rights and principles.

“We are all the more sorry on the occasion of this holiday that the fundamental right of people to vote and at the same time to withdraw or terminate the mandate of elected representatives in the National Council of the Slovak Republic today faces the questioning of this basic democratic right,” said in response the Voice-SD spokeswoman Patrícia Medveď Macíková. Pellegrini’s deputies declared their readiness to change this situation and to allow a referendum on early elections to be held as soon as possible. They believe that their initiative will be supported by other parties as well.

Non-parliamentary parties have praised the constitution as a guarantee of the rule of law

Non-parliamentary parties speak of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic as a guarantee of the rule of law. Several of them pointed out the need for a broad discussion in its possible amendments. The Hungarian parties continue to object to the wording of the preamble to the constitution. While several parties such as Progressive Slovakia, Spolu and KDH have emphasized the importance of the Day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, the Co-operation movement is talking about its abolition.

“The constitution should be more than just the highest law in the country, it should be a social contract concluded between all citizens of the Slovak Republic. Unfortunately, the circumstances and actors of the establishment of our constitution do not add much dignity to it,” said Branislav Vančo, a member of the Presidency of Progressive Slovakia. He described the day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic as an underestimated but important holiday, when it is possible to recall the importance of the rule of law.

According to him, the constitution should also protect citizens from excessive interference by state power with their rights. “The period of the pandemic showed us that as a society we still have a lot to learn in this area,” he added. He thinks that politicians should approach constitutional changes with more caution and restraint. According to him, frequent and populist changes take the constitution seriously, cause constitutional problems and sometimes create second-class citizens.

The foundations of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic are based on centuries of experience

The chairman of KDH, Milan Majerský, added that the foundations of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic are based on centuries of experience in the struggle for national existence and determine our own statehood. According to him, its changes cannot be used to promote the personal interests of politicians and should be preceded by a broader discussion. “Citizens of the Slovak Republic must have confidence and support in this basic law of the state. Therefore, we consider the day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic to be important for Slovaks and its abolition or possible connection with the Day of the Slovak Republic is not perceived by KDH as a question these days,” stated.

The Together party is also in favor of preserving the holiday. She pointed out the need for practical implementation of the constitution. “It should be a living document that reflects the challenges of the time. Therefore, despite the 18 amendments, we should not be afraid to expand and improve its text.” he thinks. Examples of challenges that need to be addressed included the protection of the rule of law against changes by extremist forces, the protection of water and digital challenges in the form of guaranteeing equal opportunities through internet access.

On Wednesday, the Constitution Day of the Slovak Republic on Wednesday, the Slovak National Party expresses its full support for all decent protests against this government, whether they are in Bratislava or other cities. At the same time, nationalists are realizing that the only solution is to shorten the election period by constitutional law. TASR was informed about this by the director of the office of the SNS chairman Zuzana Škopcová. The CIS calls on all political parties to coordinate future parliamentary elections and demonstrations through trade unions.

The Hungarian community is pushing for a change in the preamble

She also described the Constitution as a basic pillar of the legal system of the state and the SMK. Therefore, according to the words of its press secretary Róbert Králik, the Hungarian community in Slovakia is pushing for a change in the preamble of the constitution so that not only the Slovak nation but all Slovak citizens are state-building.

The Co-operation movement called the preamble of the constitution discriminatory. “The basic law of the state, where 20 percent of the population does not declare Slovak nationality, cannot begin with the words ‘We, the Slovak nation …’,” argues that the preamble thus degrades members of national minorities to second-class citizens. He talks about the abolition of the Day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. He claims that citizens have no emotional connection to him.