Smer party, whose votes are needed by the governing coalition if parliament is to abrogate the amnesties issued by Vladimír Mečiar in 1998, has prepared its own proposal for dealing with the matter, according to statements made by Smer chair Robert Fico and Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) chair Ján Figeľ to the TASR newswire on September 19.
The coalition has proposed that the amnesties be completely abrogated but Smer has suggested that a Constitutional act be passed that would condemn the amnesties as an abuse of power but without any further legal ramifications, according to the proposal drafted by lawyers for Smer.
"We completely reject these amnesties from a moral viewpoint, but don't see any room for their abrogation with respect to the law, as proposed by KDH," Fico stated.
KDH proposes to abolish the amnesties issued by acting president Mečiar covering any individuals who may have been involved in the kidnapping of the former president's son, Michal Kováč Jr., to Austria in 1995. This is the sixth time that a proposal regarding the amnesties has been before the Slovak parliament. The Slovak Intelligence Service is suspected of carrying out the kidnapping.
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.
