Another long day of obstruction. Deputies discuss the possibility of voting from abroad

Deputies will meet on Thursday morning at an extraordinary meeting of the Chamber of Deputies for the second reading of the postal election. The first reading in January this year took 63 hours due to obstructions by a pair of opposition movements. Today, at the very beginning, deputies voted for the possibility to act and vote even after 7 and 9 p.m.

The House does not have a smooth course this time either. Even before the beginning of the meeting, 17 legislators were already registered for the debate. However, legislators with preferential rights will also speak, especially chairmen of parties and clubs.

During the first reading in January, for example, SPD chairman Tomio Okamura broke the parliamentary record when he spoke for a total of 10 hours and 44 minutes. “We will certainly not obstruct and read lengthy speeches not related to the correspondence election. I have a rather long speech prepared, but it will be strictly on topic. I want to explain it to the voters,” SPD club chairman Radim Fiala said at a press conference before the meeting.

“We will talk. We do not remember that the coalition has ever cut off the debate in the first reading. About 30 of our colleagues could not perform at all. So the arguments will be heard,” said the chairperson of the ANO parliamentary club Alena Schillerová. She was referring to the fact that in January, after several days of obstruction, the ruling coalition ordered the vote to be held at a fixed time.

The second opposition movement is also preparing to obstruct. “We will do our best to prevent the proposal from passing,” SPD chairman Tomio Okamura confirmed, adding that, according to him, the proposal “contradicts democratic principles and encourages electoral fraud.” He added that in the second reading he would also propose a complete rejection of the law.

There are currently 15 written amendments recorded in the parliamentary system. Some of them are from the coalition camp. “We met with the opposition several times, and the discussions were very substantive and constructive. The meeting resulted in amendments that were discussed and approved in the constitutional and legal committee,” said the chairman of the STAN parliamentary club, Josef Cogan.

According to the amendments proposed by the government coalition, the votes from abroad should be divided into four districts – two within Europe, one American and the other for the rest of the world. “Other agreed cosmetic changes are setting the number of full powers for representation at seven, at the same time the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue a regulation instead of a decree, and political parties will delegate representatives to district election commissions,” said the chairman of the pirate parliamentary club, Jakub Michálek.

Another adjustment will then concern the sending of ballot papers abroad to the place where the person is staying, not to the permanent residence.

“I assume that the negotiations will not be easy and will be long anyway. But the law is prepared correctly and the elections will take place properly and fairly,” added Eva Decroix, vice-president of the ODS.