We need to see in the very next day’s serious and responsible statesmanship by the relevant institutions to enable a swift formation of a new and solid coalition. That is the only way to get back onto the EU path – which is what your citizens want and deserve.
This was the conclusion from the joint statement by European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, and MEPs Ivo Vajgl, Eduard Kukan and Knut Fleckenstein, after today’s meetings with leaders from the parliamentary political parties.
In the statement, they went on to say that during the meetings they clearly emphasized that the leaders of the country,including the president, must respect the results from the recent elections and said “In a democracy, everyone must acknowledge parliamentary majorities.
“We therefore encourage the President to reconsider his position urgently. There is no time to lose. We now expect all political leaders and institutions to let the democratic process run its course – in the interest of the country’s citizens. The delays of the past months are already damaging the country’s economy. We thus call on a swift formation of a new government committed to implement overdue reforms. The parties and the new government are expected to continue implementing all parts of their Przino agreement”, reads the statement.
Hahn and the MEPs in particular urged everyone to refrain from any actions and statements which might fuel inter-ethnic tensions or undermine good neighbourly relations. They also stressed that the negative rhetoric against the international community and NGOs is counterproductive and it undermines the country’s standing.
“No one should be tempted to play with fire. We are deeply concerned about tensions and hate speech. The freedom of assembly and the freedom of expression are fundamental rights in democratic societies, but they come with responsibilities.In the same vein, negative rhetoric targeting the international community and civil society organisations is entirely counterproductive. It undermines the country’s standing internationally, and the credibility of those who use it”, said the European Commissioner and the three MEPs in their joint statement.
