Slovakia is the only state in the EU with a single electoral district and the model of single constituency puts candidates hailing from the capital city at an unfair advantage, according to Investment Minister Richard Rasi. He goes on to point out that there were election cycles in the past when almost half the members of Parliament were Bratislava-based legislators.
Rasi would like to start a discussion on a change to the election system. "Things have become more complicated since the government of Igor Matovic. He submitted a bill and now the single constituency is anchored in the Constitution," noted Rasi, adding that a constitutional majority of 90 votes would be needed to introduce the change.
Because of this, Rasi wants to invite some parliamentary opposition parties to the discussion to recruit their votes as well. "This topic can meet with stiff resistance from those parties that are Bratislava-centred," he conceded.
Slovakia was originally divided into four electoral districts: eastern, central, western and Bratislava, but later changed to a single constituency under the government of Vladimir Meciar (1994-98).
Hlas-SD doesn't want to restore the original model, though, but proposes a more extensive change. "Half of the candidates would be elected on a single slate, as it is today, whereas the other half on a regional principle," explained Rasi. Thus, this would be a mixed system, with half of Parliament elected under proportional representation and the regional half with first-past-the-post system.
Source: TASR
