BRATISLAVA, December 14, (WEBNOVINY)- The ruling coalition has decided to change competencies of the Prosecutor General Office. Following five-hour marathon talks Prime Minister Iveta Radicova announced that a working group had been charged with preparing proposals of changes in the office’s functioning. “They are anchored in the government program statement,“ she said. The announced changes should concern the appointing of prosecutors at district and regional prosecutor offices. The competence to halt investigation should be changed as well.
The prime minister considers changes at the Prosecutor General Office crucial for improving trust in the rule of law. “We will address top constitutional lawyers and experts specializing in the prosecutor general office area and complete the change preparations for which were launched as soon as in 2003″, stated the prime minister. She said that the coalition will ask constitutional lawyers to judge the possibility of electing the prosecutor general in an open vote in parliament. MOST-HID leader Bela Bugar added that the changes should leave the Prosecutor General Office more flexible and better functioning.
The ruling coalition dealt as well on Monday with the failed prosecutor general election. Radicova announced that the parties of the ruling coalition support a change at the post of prosecutor general and stand by the candidate Jozef Centes. She admitted that the so-far four attempts in parliament to elect the new prosecutor general failed and the situation resulted in a stalemate. “It will be settled first of all on the parliamentary ground”’ said the prime minister. She added that the fact that six coalition deputies did not raise their hands for the coalition‘ s candidate does not cast doubts regarding functioning of the coalition in the future. She added that the coalition wants to devote all its energy to problems of the citizens and not to politicking.
On December 8, Parliament failed for the fourth time to elect the new prosecutor general. The ruling coalition obstructed the vote as in the previous one six of its deputies yet unidentified denied their support to their joint candidate Jozef Centes whose contestant was the incumbent Prosecutor General Dobroslav Trnka. To avoid further fiasco, the ruling quartet is working on legislative changes to enable an open prosecutor general vote instead of a secret ballot. The opposition however disagrees with the plan considering it a „major threat to democracy.“
SITA