BRATISLAVA, December 5, (WEBNOVINY) — President Ivan Gasparovic does not agree with the petitioners’ demand that he appoint Jozef Centes to the post of prosecutor general interpretation of the Constitution and claims he is not obliged to appoint Centes although parliament elected him as a candidate to the post. According to president’s spokesman Marek Trubac, the constitution states literally that the president appoints or removes an official from office which implies this is only a facultative option, not an obligatory duty, as the formulation in the constitution would be different in such case. “Mr. Dostal probably forgot to read this,” added Trubac. He also said that the president could not have violated the constitution by not appointing Centes yet because of the fact that there are no deadlines relevant for this case.
On Monday, MPs Ondrej Dostal (OKS) and Jozef Viskupic (Ordinary People) delivered to the president an appeal from several MPs, calling on him to appoint Jozef Centes to the post of prosecutor general. They suggest December 10, Human Rights Day, as a suitable date. They reminded him that appointing constitutional representatives is not only his right, but also duty. “Inactivity in such cases means a violation of the Slovak Constitution”, Dostal underscored.
The deputies have also asked President Gasparovic to participate in a discussion with the public on human rights in front of the Presidential Palace in Hodzovo Namestie square in Bratislava. Despite the president’s commitment to observe the Constitution and laws in the oath of office, while its conscious violation may result in a loss of the office, the deputies do not want to open this topic in the parliament.
People who will run for seats in parliament on the election ballot of Ordinary People and Independent Personalities signed the call for appointing Centes to the post of prosecutor general.
Centes was elected by parliament on June 17, 2011 in a secret ballot. President Ivan Gasparovic refused to appoint him until the Constitutional Court decided whether the election was in line with the constitution. The court issued the verdict on October 5, but the president still has not appointed Centes to the post. Centes lodged a complaint at the Constitutional Court over violation of rights by the president’s inactivity.
SITA