MPs met to begin the last regular parliamentary session before the summer break on Tuesday afternoon.
There are more than 150 points on the agenda of the session, including two laws vetoed by President Peter Pellegrini. At the same time, the head of state will appear before MPs on Wednesday with a state of the republic report. This will be his first such address since he assumed his post.
The agenda of the session also includes several points that were postponed from the previous session, such as opposition proposals to dismiss ministers. Parliament should also definitively vote on the government's amendment to the Slovak Constitution, which mainly concerns cultural and ethical issues.
On Tuesday, MPs approved changes in active reserves, which will now replace the National Defense Forces. The proposal also includes the establishment of the Gendarmerie Corps, which could assist the police in maintaining public order. The Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic prepared the draft law on specific measures to increase the resilience of the Slovak Republic in the field of defense and security and on conscription.
During the final session, MPs from Hlas-SD are expected to propose an amendment to the draft revision of the Slovak Constitution to remove the provision that Slovakia is a single electoral district for parliamentary elections; party leader and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok announced this Tuesday. He added that the party is also ready to support President Peter Pellegrini's veto of the proposed special pension for the Prosecutor-General and is open to postponing the vote on the so-called COVID amnesties to September, pending a report from Government Proxy for Investigating COVID-19 Pandemic Management, Peter Kotlar.
Hlas-SD stated that the sentence about a single electoral district was artificially inserted into the Constitution out of fear. The party considers it necessary for people to elect their representatives to Parliament from the regions. "By removing this sentence, we're not changing the electoral system," emphasised House Chair Richard Raši (Hlas-SD), noting that the sentence is already included in the law.
Šutaj Eštok also stated that he believes it's right for the Constitution to clearly define two genders – male and female. He added that Hlas-SD succeeded in including a provision on gender equality in pay for work.
Source: TASR
