On Thursday (24.4.) Slovakian citizens protested against the bill adopted by the lower home of Parliament with the votes of the ruling coalition Members, which approved fresh administrative responsibilities for NGOs, including a peculiar study on their donors. The demonstrators appealed to president Peter Pellegrini not to sign the bill. In Bratislava, civilian society Peace for Ukraine called the march and rally as part of a series of anti-government demonstrations that has been held since December last year.
"From Parliament came a alleged Russian bill that will push Slovakia from democracy towards the authoritarian regime. This bill strikes civilian society, active people who are trying to make our country better," said Dávid Selyem, representing the organisers of the protest. He stated that it was about the values that Slovakia respects – or the east ones, where fear prevails, or Western ones, where freedom prevails.
Parliamentary pro-governments defended the laws, arguing this as an effort to increase the transparency of the non-governmental sector. Representatives of the government coalition have long spoken out against certain associations or foundations, definedas political. However, following force from 1 of the ruling parties, NGOs will yet not be covered by lobbying rules, the grounds for their resolution will not be extended, and any of them will not even have a circumstantial word if they receive money from abroad. The opposition claimed that the changes were aimed, among others, at harassing non-governmental organisations or foundations that pay attention to the incorrect conduct of the authorities.
In the capital of Slovakia,The crowd marched from the square close the government office to the close presidential palace, and then returned to a conventional demonstration site against Prime Minister Robert Fico's cabinet.
Similar events were convened for Thursday and Friday in another cities throughout the country.
The current wave of demonstrations under the motto Slovakia is Europe was preceded by the December gathering of Prime Minister Fico with Russian president Vladimir Putin, whose country invaded Ukraine in February 2022. More than 40,000 attended any rallies in Bratislava in January and February, but later attendance declined significantly.
At mass rallies, Fico claimed that the protests were triggered by lies. He accused the demonstratorsAnd the opposition to the coup attempt. The Prime Minister behavedsimilarly 7 years ago during a demonstration after the assassination of writer Ján Kuciak and his partner. Fico then resigned as Prime Minister in order to solve the political crisis, which he later regretted.
In fresh months, Fico has rejected calls for the organizers of the current demonstrations to resign as head of government, saying that this is not the year 2018. Meanwhile, he managed to reconstruct the majority in the lower chamber, which supports his cabinet. The ruling coalition temporarily lost it due to the rebellion of MPs who left or were expelled from the governing coalition clubs.
Source: Seznamzpravy
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