KOSICE, June 15, (WEBNOVINY) — The plenum of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic led by its President Ivetta Macejkova has accepted the motion filed by acting Prosecutor General Ladislav Tichy, in which in late May he contested the legality of the bill allowing public elections of the prosecutor general. Court’s spokesperson Anna Pancurova further reported that the plenum suspended the force of the contested provisions by issuing a preliminary injunction. Lawmakers were supposed to elect a new prosecutor general in a public vote on Friday. Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova announced that if the Constitutional Court issues a preliminary injunction halting the public election of the new prosecutor general in parliament, a secret ballot should be held instead on Friday.
Tichy reasoned his motion arguing that changing the secret ballot to a public vote because the secret election does not enable political control over MPs voting is not a legitimate reason for a change.
Speaker of Parliament Richard Sulik (SaS) last week turned to the Constitutional Court with a suggestion to reject the filing. He asserted that Tichy as acting prosecutor general was not entitled to submit a filing to the Constitutional Court.
On May 17, the coalition adopted an amendment to the parliament’s rules of procedure which would enable the next election of the prosecutor general by a public vote.
SITA