House: Voice-SD Aims to Remove Single Electoral District from Constitution (2)

Bratislava, 27 May (TASR) - MPs from Voice-SD will propose an amendment to the draft revision of the Slovak Constitution to remove the provision that Slovakia forms a single electoral district for parliamentary election, party leader and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok announced at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the party is also ready to support President Peter Pellegrini's veto of the proposed special pension for the Prosecutor-General and is open to postponing the vote on the so-called COVID amnesties to September, pending a report from Government Proxy for Investigating COVID-19 Pandemic Management Peter Kotlar. Voice-SD stated that the sentence about a single electoral district was artificially inserted into the Constitution out of fear. The party considers it necessary for people to elect their representatives to Parliament from the regions. "By removing this sentence, we're not changing the electoral system," emphasised House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD), noting that the sentence is already included in the law. Sutaj Estok also stated that he believes it's right for the Constitution to clearly define two genders – male and female. He added that Voice-SD succeeded in including a provision on gender equality in pay for work. The interior minister said he expects the next Coalition Council to find a better solution for the transaction tax. Voice-SD plans to support the president's vetoes on two bills, arguing that the special pension should apply to ordinary prosecutors as it does for police and firefighters, and that the party also understands the president's concerns about the COVID amnesties. Among its key priorities, Voice-SD highlighted a labour ministry amendment to cut benefits for unemployed people who refuse suitable work, a proposal to raise teachers' salaries by seven percent, a plan to let municipalities use development fees more flexibly, and a law to support underdeveloped regions, which would be renamed 'priority regions'. lin