Mass protests erupt in Slovakia over planned electoral law changes PHOTO

Mass protests have taken place in Slovakia against planned changes to the country’s electoral legislation.

Thousands of people took to the streets under the slogan “They will not take away our vote!”, opposing the government’s initiative to abolish postal voting for citizens living abroad, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

In the capital, Bratislava, around 2,000 people joined the demonstration. Several hundred more protested in other cities across the country, as well as abroad in Prague and Brussels.

At the centre of the dispute is a proposal by the government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, under which Slovaks living abroad would be allowed to vote only in person at diplomatic missions or specially designated polling stations. Postal voting, currently available in parliamentary elections, would be abolished.

At the same time, the initiative would introduce the possibility for citizens abroad to participate in presidential elections, which was previously not allowed.

The authorities argue that the new rules would better ensure the secrecy of the vote and reduce the risk of manipulation. The opposition, however, says the reform is an attempt to limit diaspora participation, which largely supported opposition forces in recent elections.

Liberal opposition leader Michal Šimečka said the proposed changes could deprive tens of thousands of citizens abroad of the ability to vote in parliamentary elections and are aimed at strengthening the current government’s power.

By Jeyhun Aghazada