BRATISLAVA, February 24, (WEBNOVINY) – Parliamentary caucuses of the former coalition (KDH, SaS, MOST-HID and SDKU-DS) have agreed that their MPs would turn to the Constitutional Court in the matter of appointing the prosecutor general. Radoslav Prochazka (KDH), chairman of the Parliamentary Constitutional Committee, who penned the motion, explained that they want the Constitutional Court to state that the head of state is obliged to decide on the candidate elected by parliament without unnecessary delay.
The parliamentary caucuses also want the court to rule that the president can not decide whether to appoint an elected candidate to the post of prosecutor general or not based on his trust in the candidate or based on whether he likes him or not. Prochazka underscored the president should take into account whether the candidate fulfilled all requirements in order to be nominated to the post and the election process. He believes that the Supreme Court plenum should decide on the matter and not a panel of three judges while the decision will become a precedent.
The motion should be lodged at the court by February 29 at the latest, but the decision will likely be known only after several months, Prochazka estimates.
Representatives of the four deputy caucuses did not discuss potential cooperation after the elections. According to Parliament Speaker Pavol Hrusovsky, such issues fall under the competency of party chairmen. He stressed that the ambition of Friday’s meeting was to rebuke doubts that the constitutional system in Slovakia does not work.
Parliament elected Jozef Centes to the post of prosecutor general on June 17, 2011. President Ivan Gasparovic has thus far refused to appoint him to the post. Centes had lodged a complaint at the Constitutional Court over violation of rights by the president’s inactivity.
SITA