BRATISLAVA, May 24, (WEBNOVINY) — President Ivan Gasparovic has again refused to sign the revised Parliament’s Standing Order Act that will enable to elect the new prosecutor general in an open vote. Lawmakers overrode the presidential veto on May 17 and approved the norm without having incorporated his remarks. All 79 coalition deputies voted for revision, while opposition representatives voted against it. The prosecutor general elections may be changed from secret to open after the norm’s publication in the Collection of Laws.
The piece of legislation introduces a public vote in Parliament to pick the chairperson and the deputy chairs of the Supreme Audit Office (NKU) and candidates for the posts of Constitutional Court judges. A secret ballot must be held only in cases stipulated in the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, namely when electing the speaker of the Slovak parliament and his/her deputies and heads of parliamentary committees. The ballot will be secret also if the parliament approves such a proposal initiated at least by fifteen MPs. According to the amendment, it will be forbidden to bring weapons, explosives and paralyzing devices into the assembly hall and to use to cell phones to make calls there.
On the other hand, President Gasparovic on Tuesday signed two other initially vetoed amendments. On May 17, legislators accepted his remarks and included them into the bill governing the legal position and remuneration of mayors and the revised norm on consumer protection in provision of certain tourism services. Thus, salaries of mayors will go down by 10 percent as of June 1. The municipal council will only be able to increase the mayor’s basic salary by a maximum of 70 percent but mayors will no longer get bonuses. The new rules to protect consumers will take effect on July 1.
SITA