BRATISLAVA, January 30, (WEBNOVINY) – The first parliamentary session in 2011, which is slated to start on Tuesday (February 1), will test the coalition’s cohesion. The agenda features several politically sensitive issues. MPs will decide on dual citizenship, public elections of the prosecutor general and five bills vetoed by President Ivan Gasparovic. Two unscheduled sessions are to take part along the regular session. The opposition SMER-SD initiated the extraordinary meetings of deputies to oust Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik (KDH) and enable another round of secret elections of the general prosecutor.
The outcome of the voting on legislation amending Slovakia’s position on dual citizenship can hardly be foretold. The leader of the group Ordinary People serving in the Slovak Parliament in the SaS party faction Igor Matovic refuses to observe the coalition agreement. Three coalition parties – SDKU-DS, MOST-HID and SaS – want to enable Slovaks to hold two passports. They propose to put into the law a provision stipulating that the Slovak Republic does not recognize a second citizenship if acquired in contradiction with international laws. However Matovic claims that this attitude does not provide any solution to Hungary’s controversial citizenship law. He maintains that passports should be taken away from all individuals who obtain foreign citizenship without having lived, worked, studied, and done business in the given country at least for a year or those whose relatives do not come from there. SMER deputies suggest softening the Slovak citizenship law so that Slovaks living abroad can apply for other country’s citizenship without loosing Slovak passport. Their revision would allow Slovak citizens to obtain foreign citizenship if their stay in the country, where they apply for citizenship, is permitted and registered for at least six months. Ordinary People also have some reservations regarding the revision to the State Service Act forged by KDH. The piece of legislation stipulates that individuals with dual citizenship cannot be employed in security forces. MOST-HID, too, disapproves of this concept.
SMER-SD will attempt to push through a new vote of prosecutor general during the unscheduled session scheduled for Wednesday. Coalition parties want to delay the vote until the standing order is amended. Its revision would enable public elections of the prosecutor general. SMER Chairman Robert Fico has also informed of the plan to initiate a no-confidence vote in Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik due to the exception the minister granted to Pfizer’s pneumococcal vaccine. Earlier this month, the former prime minister called the decision a perfect example of cronyism and corruption.
Deputies will vote on five norms vetoed by the president at the beginning of the session: the law on judges and lay-judges, the revision to the State Language Act, law on funding of elementary schools, high schools and educational facilities and the revision to the law on health insurance companies.
The program of the session further includes the elections of the director general of the Slovak Radio and Television (RTS). The Parliamentary Culture and Media Committee will hear candidates for this post on February 7. The elections could take place on February 11.
SITA