BRATISLAVA, February 11, (WEBNOVINY) – MPs on Friday approved the revision to the law on judges and lay-judges in fast-track legislative procedure. Its author Lucia Zitnanska intended to fix the wording of the law that resulted from a presidential veto. Last week deputies postponed the revision’s coming into force from January to May but they failed to pass one of the remarks raised by President Ivan Gasparovic; thus unmodified deadlines remained in the law.
Pursuant to the long-used practice of the Slovak Parliament the process has been non-standard but legitimate, when apparent flaws are removed from the approved draft bill caused in this case by objective incapacity to override presidential veto beyond his remarks, the justice minister explained.
SMER-SD MP and Shadow Justice Minister Robert Madej opposed the procedure and argued that the minister has manifested her incompetence when submitting a revision to the law on judges approved by the parliament last week. The ministry changes some deadlines, which concern candidates for judge, in the proposed amendment. “The amendment should correct mistakes made in voting of coalition deputies last year. Parliament passed the amendment to the law last week and the Cabinet is already submitting another amendment where it intends to rectify mistakes that the passed amendment contains,” Madej pointed out to journalists.
Madej claims that the minister is correcting the law because, as she reasons, the enacted state is unacceptable with regard to inner consistence of the piece of legislation and its effect. “The government alone states that the law in its current form is unacceptable,” he underscored. “Expedited legislative procedure is unacceptable for us. It confirmed that the law is unconstitutional and it is spoilage,” he added.
The amendment passed last week introduces the duty to publish court verdicts on the Internet, public selection procedures for judges and presidents of courts, public judicial exams and abolishing bonuses for judges. With this amendment, the ruling coalition of SDKU-DS, SaS, MOST-HID and KDH wants to make the judiciary more open to control of the public. The bill was originally adopted in December, but owing the President’s veto, parliament had to discuss it again.
After being sealed by the president, the revision will enter into force on May 1, 2011.
SITA