Slovak president calls referendum to lift Russia sanctions 'impossible'
Photo: Peter Pellegrini (Getty Images)
Holding a national referendum on lifting sanctions against Russia does not comply with the Slovak Constitution and therefore cannot be called. This was stated by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, according to TASR.
"If the president finds that any of the prescribed constitutional and legal conditions for holding a referendum haven't been met, he cannot declare it, and this is the case with the petition that I've been assessing in recent weeks. Therefore, I repeat, the referendum in question simply cannot be declared," the Slovak president said.
The referendum was initiated by the Slovak Revival (SHO) movement, which reportedly gathered 450,000 signatures - well over the 350,000 required.
At the same time, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that he is ready to support a referendum in Slovakia on lifting sanctions against Russia.
A petition was launched in Slovakia demanding a national referendum on the cancellation of sanctions against Russia.
Commenting on the initiative earlier, Fico claimed that Russia had already adapted to the sanctions, while the restrictions now allegedly harm Europe more than Russia. He argued that such sanctions only deepen the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The Slovak prime minister also promised Vladimir Putin that he would use Slovakia’s veto power to block any ban on Russian energy exports to the EU.
