Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič will call a referendum initiated by the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party by July 9, the press department of the President's Office said on Tuesday, June 29, the TASR newswire reported.
More than 30,000 sheets with 401,126 signatures were handed in on June 9 and examined by June 25. Of the total, 368,000 signatures were assessed as valid, with the remainder counted as void mainly due to missing, illegible or non-identifiable names.
The petition calling for a referendum sets out six questions for inclusion, and therefore meets the conditions required for a referendum to be called by the president. The six questions concern the abolition of television and radio licence fees, the curbing of MPs' immunity, a reduction in the number of MPs from 150 to 100, a maximum purchasing price for cars used by government officials, voting in elections via the internet, and removal from public officials of the “right to reply” established by the 2008 Press Code.
For the eventual referendum to be binding, at least 50 percent of the country's eligible voters will have to take part in it
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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