Takac: I Regret Land Registry Act Didn't Pass, But This Isn't Coalition Crisis
Bratislava, 23 April (TASR) - Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) had no prior information that the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) had reservations about the amendment to the Land Registry Act, which failed to advance to its second reading on Thursday.
The bill, drafted by the Agriculture Ministry, failed partly because four SNS MPs abstained from voting. Takac stated that he regrets this situation, but he doesn't view it as a coalition crisis.
"At least one MP has come forward so far saying that they made a mistake during the vote. I can choose to believe that, or I can choose not to. I hadn't received any information from them indicating that they had any reservations about anything," the minister told reporters in Parliament, adding that he didn't want to speculate on the motives of these MPs.
Takac pointed to a statement by SNS chairman Andrej Danko, who didn't know in advance how some of his MPs would vote and who himself voted to move the bill to its second reading. According to him, the situation should become clearer, but this isn't a coalition crisis. "The world isn't ending over this, nor is the coalition. Of course, it's not pleasant and it's not good, but unfortunately we have to operate as things stand. You simply never choose a completely ideal partner, so life goes on," he stated.
Parliament cannot discuss the same bill within a period of six months, and the minister announced that he'll have to consult with the land registry director on how to proceed. "We'll reach an agreement; if necessary, we'll submit it, and if SNS MPs have reservations - that is, if they have reservations, because I'm not aware of any at this point and I can't perceive such reservations - we'll address them and incorporate them," added Takac.
In response, head of the parliamentary caucus of the coalition Voice-SD party Robert Puci emphasised that 25 MPs from his caucus voted in favour of the proposal, as agreed at a coalition council meeting. "Try asking our colleagues from SNS why they didn't vote for it. We didn't know about it. We were sitting there right before the vote, and no one said that there would be a problem with this bill," he emphasised.
Lawmakers didn't advance the government-proposed amendment to the Land Registry Act to its second reading on Thursday, with only 73 of the 146 MPs present voting in favour of the bill. Several MPs from the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) abstained from voting. The aim of the bill was to introduce mandatory authentication or registration for certain types of personal data published on land registry websites.
