Speaker of Slovak Parliament Pavol Paška considers legislative immunity unnecessary and is proposing to repeal it, he said at a press conference on September 25. However, ĽS-HZDS chairman Vladimír Mečiar opposes that idea.
ĽS-HZDS member Katarína Tóthova agreed with Mečiar, saying immunity allowed parliament to operate without MPs being harassed by false charges.
But she added that she was against MPs enjoying immunity from misdemeanors, saying that she would only protect MPs from being prosecuted for driving violations during parliamentary sessions. Losing a driver's license could prevent an MP from attending parliamentary debates, and that would be unacceptable, she said.
According to constitutional lawyer and former MP Ján Drgonec, the current legislative immunity isn't particularly extensive. The immunity from misdemeanors was ratified in 2006 and, according to Drgonec, represents an abuse of power that must be corrected. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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