Gov't Drops Constitutional Amendment Concerning House Dissolution from Agenda

Bratislava, 19 August - Ministers at Wednesday's cabinet meeting dropped an amendment to the Constitution that would have made it possible to dissolve Parliament via a referendum before the end of its term, according to the meeting's agenda. The proposed changes, submitted by the Justice Ministry, were intended to fulfil a public pledge made by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to set up a constitutional legal mechanism whereby citizens would also be able to bring the parliamentary term to an end and trigger an early general election. In the referendum, citizens would be able to decide whether Parliament should be dissolved during its current term of office, before its constitutionally prescribed expiry date. The amendment to the Constitution also addresses Slovak sign language, which the Constitution could recognise as a separate language. In addition, the draft prepared by the Justice Ministry deals with a constitutional amendment concerning the dismissal of a member of the Judicial Council. The ministry has pointed out that the current wording allows a Judicial Council member to be dismissed at any time. Under the new provisions, this would only be possible in the event of poor health, a conviction for an intentional crime, a custodial sentence, or appointment to the post of judge. am/df