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Paska: Extraordinary Session on Dual Citizenship to Be Held on Tuesday
Monday 24 May 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, May 24 (TASR) - An extraordinary parliamentary session to discuss Hungary's proposed amendment to the Dual Citizenship Act concerning ethnic Hungarians living outside the country will take place on Tuesday starting from 11 a.m., Parliamentary Chairman Pavol Paska announced on Monday.
Speaking after a Coalition Council session, Paska added that all three governing-coalition parties - Smer-SD, SNS and LS-HZDS - agreed to the move.
The first item on the agenda will be a proposal for a resolution by the Slovak Parliament on the dual-citizenship legislation, which is currently under discussion in the Hungarian Parliament.
In addition, the House is expected to discuss a Government-drafted amendment on state citizenship via fast-tracked proceedings. According to Prime Minister Robert Fico, the amendment will be okayed at a Government session earlier on Tuesday.
Fico added that Parliament will first adopt a declaration aimed at updating the public both in Slovakia and abroad of the substantial reservations that Slovakia has towards the Hungarian bill.
"After this declaration is adopted, the session should be suspended and we'll wait for the Hungarian Parliament's vote on dual citizenship," said Fico, adding that this is expected to be held on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
"If, notwithstanding our goodwill and standard practices that correspond to international law, the Hungarian Parliament decides to pass the law, the session of the Slovak Parliament should be resumed to discuss the proposal on the law on state citizenship via fast-tracked proceedings," said Fico.
The Slovak amendment is due to introduce two changes. First, if a Slovak citizen submits a voluntary application aimed at receiving the citizenship of another country, the person concerned should automatically lose their Slovak citizenship.
"This law will also include a provision that will clearly stipulate that if holding a public post in Slovakia is preconditioned by Slovak citizenship, by obtaining Hungarian state citizenship the person in question will automatically lose their right to hold the public post," said the premier.
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