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Meciar: HZDS Won't Support Pruning of MPs' Immunity
Tuesday 01 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, December 1 (TASR-SLOVAKIA) - The proposal designed to significantly prune MPs' immunity submitted to Parliament by Smer-SD MP Renata Zmajkovicova isn't supported by all the coalition partners, and LS-HZDS MPs won't vote for this proposal, said HZDS chair Vladimir Meciar after the Coalition Council session on Tuesday.
"We'll advise our parliamentary caucus not to vote in favour of several acts, such as, for example, the proposal of Mrs. Zmajkovicova ... in order not to raise this topic in this election term but to leave it for the people to decide at the (general) election. Let the people decide on this dilemma," said Meciar.
The coalition partners agreed to pass the so-called Patriotism Act drawn up by the Slovak National Party (SNS) to its second reading, where it will have to undergo considerable changes, however. "The agreement has it that it (the Act) has to be amended, otherwise it won't be passed," pointed out Meciar.
This was also confirmed by Parliamentary Chairman and Smer vice-chair Pavol Paska. "This Act can only be supported by Smer if there are deep revisions and exact definitions," he said.
Slovak National Party (SNS) vice-chair Anna Belousovova said that her party is ready to negotiate with its coalition partners on possible changes to the Act, which is the party's main priority at the December parliamentary session. "We don't want to claim that it is only our proposals that are the best and we'll try to improve the Act at its second reading by implementing the comments of our coalition partners," she said.
Meciar didn't rule out the possibility of the Act on Judges and Observers being withdrawn from the upcoming session. "Based on our request, the Government will most likely deal with the Act on Judges and Observers at the Government session on Wednesday. I can't rule out it being withdrawn from Parliament, but this can only happen after a Government decision," he stated.
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