The current scale of the immunity enjoyed by Slovak MPs is outdated and should be reduced, the chair of parliament’s Mandate and Immunity Committee, Renata Zmajkovičová (Smer), said on Tuesday, October 6.
She said that she would submit an amendment to parliament to this effect. There have been innumerable attempts to limit parliamentary immunity since Slovakia became independent in 1993.
Zmajkovičová wants immunity to apply only to statements expressed in parliament. She said MPs should not have immunity from criminal acts as they must be first and foremost be treated as citizens’ representatives and held responsible for their actions. Currently, any legal proceedings against an MP must first be approved by parliament or the relevant institutions must wait for the MP’s mandate to end.
She also said that she is not concerned that if her proposal were approved it could became a tool for governing parties to misuse against opposition MPs. Zmajkovičová said she believed that Slovak society is sufficiently democratic that such a situation could not arise. She said she intended to approach all party caucuses to seek support for her proposal. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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