Slovaks protest against Penal Code reforms

Several thousand people gathered outside Slovakia's parliament in Bratislava to protest against reforms to the Penal Code, which are about to be passed despite sharp criticism, especially from the EU.
The changes, which have sparked a wave of anti-government protests, include easing penalties for corruption and economic crimes in the EU and NATO member country of 5.4 million people.
Parliament is expected to adopt the controversial reforms under an accelerated legislative procedure on Thursday, a step that has drawn condemnation from the president and opposition lawmakers.
"Participating in these protests is the least I can do," Slavka Sebova, a 34-year-old accountant from Bratislava, told AFP.
"Unfortunately, these laws will be passed anyway, but I want them to know that we are watching them closely," she added.
In its package of reform measures, the ruling coalition also plans to abolish the specialized prosecutor's office, which oversees high-level corruption cases and which the coalition claims has treated it unfairly.
The opposition claims that populist Prime Minister Robert Fizzo intends to favor businessmen and oligarchs with close ties to his Smer-SD party, threatened by an investigation into their wrongdoing.
Representatives of the European Union also condemned the reform plans.
"We have asked the Slovak government not to proceed with the planned reforms for the time being. And especially not to resort to an accelerated procedure without proper and thorough consultations with the interested parties," said a spokesperson for the European Commission in January.
In the wake of sharp criticism, the government softened the bill by offering higher penalties for some offences, but the move failed to quell the criticism.
The topic of the Criminal Code reforms is expected to influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for March.
A total of ten candidates are vying for the presidency in Slovakia, with the first round taking place on March 23.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the second round will take place on April 6.
However, Fico's Smer-SD, which has the most seats in the government, does not intend to field candidates and has instead said it will back Hlas-SD chief and parliament speaker Peter Pellegrini in his bid to become president.
"The reform of the Penal Code will certainly be one of the main topics of the campaign," said Branislav Kovacik, a professor of political science at Matej Bell University in Banska Bystrica. /BGNES