A TOTAL of 641 people have lost Slovak citizenship under the State Citizenship Act as of October 4, 2013, with 275 of them being men and 366 women, Ivan Netik of the Interior Ministry press department confirmed to TASR.
Most people lost their Slovak citizenship due to receiving Czech citizenship (274 cases), followed by German (122), Austrian (79), British (55), Hungarian (42), American (14), Dutch (12), Norwegian (10), Irish (6), French, Italian, Canadian, Swiss (4 each), Australian (3), Belgian, Icelandic (both 2), Chinese, Ukrainian, Russian and Danish (1 each).
The Slovak Citizenship Act was passed by the first government of Robert Fico (2006-10) in response to the controversial Hungarian Dual Citizenship Act, which gave an unprecedented opportunity for Hungarians living in neighbouring countries, like Slovakia and Romania, to enjoy the benefits of Hungarian citizenship while living abroad. It has been in effect since July 17, 2010.
The Slovak legislation is being looked into by the Constitutional Court. This process was initiated by MP Gábor Gál, who believes the law is unconstitutional.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
presented in its Flash News postings.
