STA, 1 March 2019 - The resignation of Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) deputy Darij Krajčič over a stolen sandwich is not final yet. The National Assembly is to take note of his resignation on Monday, but now the MP whose story was picked up by international media, has second thoughts about resigning. PM Šarec said Krajčič would be expelled from the LMŠ if he did no resign.
Krajčič told the STA and the newspaper Dnevnik today that he was considering withdrawing his resignation and would make his final decision known by Monday, when the National Assembly is to discuss his case.
Related: MP Resigns After Stealing Sandwich, Claims Act Was “Social Experiment”
The MP of the ruling coalition party said today that his decision to step down may had been too hasty.
He said that in the meantime legal experts had warned him that his action, which he called a "social experiment", did not constitute a theft.
"With theft some other conditions must be met, including an intent to benefit from it, keeping it a secret and not paying for the item."
In contrast, Krajčič took a sandwich out of a store without paying it impulsively, only to tell about it soon after and paying for the sandwich later.
The MP said at the time he had been waiting with the sandwich for several minutes while three shop assistants were talking without paying any attention to him, so he decided to "check their system of control."
Krajčič, who told the story to the members of the parliamentary Agriculture Committee soon after, regretted the incident and tendered in his resignation later on.
The story was picked up by global media such as the BBC, Die Presse, Kurier, and Europe Times.
Krajčič said the LMŠ had expected him to resign after the story came out but that he had felt no pressure about his decision now.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec indicated today Krajčič would be dismissed as LMŠ member if he did not resign.
But he added that nobody could force him to step down because MPs are autonomous in this respect. "I said what I had to say. I think that an MP loses their join if they resign but preserves or gets their dignity," Šarec said.
Krajčič too said he could not be kicked out of the deputy group and noted that another option was for him to become an independent MP.
The LMŠ deputy group has not commented yet.
