An extraordinary parliamentary session to discuss Hungary's proposed amendment to the Dual Citizenship Act concerning ethnic Hungarians living outside the country will take place on Tuesday, May 25 starting at 11:00, Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paška announced on May 24, the TASR newswire reported.
Speaking after a Coalition Council session, Paška added that all three governing-coalition parties - Smer, the Slovak National Party (SNS), and the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) - agreed to the move.
The first item on the agenda will be a proposal for a resolution by the Slovak Parliament on the dual-citizenship legislation, which is currently under discussion in the Hungarian Parliament. The House is also expected to discuss a Government-drafted amendment on state citizenship via fast-tracked proceedings. According to Prime Minister Robert Fico, the amendment will be agreed at a government session earlier on Tuesday. Fico added that Parliament will first adopt a declaration aimed at updating the public both in Slovakia and abroad on the substantial reservations that Slovakia has towards the Hungarian bill.
“After this declaration is adopted, the session should be suspended and we'll wait for the Hungarian Parliament's vote on dual citizenship,” Fico told the TASR newswire, adding that this is expected to be held on May 26.
“If… the Hungarian Parliament decides to pass the law, the session of the Slovak Parliament should be resumed to discuss the proposal on the law on state citizenship via fast-tracked proceedings,” said Fico. The Slovak amendment is to provide that if a Slovak citizen submits a voluntary application aimed at receiving the citizenship of another country, the person concerned should automatically lose their Slovak citizenship.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
