Former Slovak Justice Minister Proposes Senate-Style Second Parliamentary Chamber

Former Justice Minister Mária Kolíková, now an opposition MP for the liberal SaS party, has proposed establishing a second parliamentary chamber in Slovakia similar to the Czech Senate. Kolíková argues that Slovakia's current system makes it too difficult to convict criminals and needs reform. The proposal comes as she faces personal security concerns, claiming to receive threats and alleging that last week SNS party MP Adam Lučanský nearly pushed her down stairs in parliament. SNS is part of Slovakia's ruling coalition alongside the dominant Smer-SD party. Kolíková also warned that proposed government amendments to the criminal code and constitution could seriously undermine criminal prosecutions while providing the ruling coalition with a way to potentially remove future governments from power.