BRATISLAVA, April 5, (WEBNOVINY) — The ruling coalition voted on Tuesday to approve the public vote to elect a new Prosecutor General in parliament and is a step closer to electing its nominee to the post. The amendment to the parliamentary rules of procedure also introduces a public vote on the chairman and deputy chairpersons of the Supreme Audit Office and candidates for justices of the Constitutional Court.
In line with the new rules, a secret ballot should only be held in cases required under the Constitution: to elect the speaker and the deputy-speakers of parliament, chairmen of parliamentary committees, or if the parliament decides so without a discourse upon a proposal by at least fifteen MPs. Parliament will also have the right to decide on holding a secret ballot on the issues where otherwise a public ballot is usual.
The coalition agreed upon changing the rules of procedure after the new prosecutor general was not elected in two rounds of two secret ballots, on four successive attempts. Although the governing coalition had a joint candidate — Jozef Csentes, some coalition MPs voted for the opposition candidate Dobroslav Trnka in the third ballot. On December 7, the Coalition blocked the fourth ballot by not casting their votes to prevent another stultification. Csentes remains the coalition’s nominee for the post, which has been vacant since February 2.
Opposition SMER-SD leader Robert Fico has reacted by saying that his party will not respect the prosecutor general picked in an open vote and if it becomes a member of the ruling coalition in the next election term the parliament will cut his term in office and elect the new one in a secret vote. The opposition thinks that the public vote dismantles one of the pillars of parliamentary democracy. Parliament turned down a proposal of SMER-SD deputy Marek Madaric who demanded a secret vote on a possible proposal for holding a secret ballot.
SITA