BRATISLAVA, November 18, (WEBNOVINY) — Parliament Speaker Pavol Hrusovsky of the coalition KDH believes that lawmakers should debate all MP drafts at the upcoming session of parliament although lawmakers have submitted as many as 53 drafts. He admitted that at a meeting with heads of deputy clubs at the parliament leadership, they discussed whether parliament would be able to debate all MP drafts given their extremely high number. “I personally hold the opinion that “yes” is the answer,” he added after the meeting. Forty deputy drafts will be discussed in the first reading while 13 will be treated in the second reading. Among them will be Hrusovsky’s constitutional draft canceling the so-called Meciar’s amnesties from 1998 protecting people believed to be involved in the abduction of Michal Kovac Jr., a son of the first Slovak president.
If some submitters withdraw their proposals, it is their right, believes Hrusovsky. He however stands behind his draft regarding the amnesties and other draft bills as well.
Hrusovsky said he will convene the 29th session of the lawmaking body for November 29 while draft bills necessary to pave the way to the state budget’s approval for 2012 will come first, followed president-vetoed bills including the bill on judges and lay-judges. However the most important bill on the agenda of the December session will be the state budget bill. Hrusovsky wants to open a discussion on the „law of the year“ on Tuesday, December 6.
High on the agenda of the upcoming session of Slovak Parliament are the elections of the chairman and deputy chairpersons of the Supreme Audit Office and of the Ombudsman. Hrusovsky says that politicians are already discussing possible candidates, which he hopes will result in a successful election. He added that the candidates for the posts have until November 25 to submit their candidacies. However the situation has been complicated by the fact that the Supreme Audit Office top job belongs to the opposition . What’s more, Slovakia is to hold general elections shortly. However, the speaker insists that the election must be held. “Parliament cannot give up on its constitutional rights,” he suggested.
MPs will also vote to freeze their salaries and also salaries of cabinet ministers, the president and the prosecutor general. The measure will not hit judges, however. The Cabinet proposed an expedited legislative procedure for the proposal as otherwise parliament would not be able to approve the draft stopping a pay hike to constitutional officials by hundreds of euros as of next year.
SITA