BRATISLAVA, February 25, (WEBNOVINY) – On Friday, Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic vetoed an amendment to the law on judges and lay-judges, which the Parliament adopted in an expedited legislative proceeding on February 11. The President disapproves the fact that the Parliament codified abolishing the institute of judicial candidates, which could potentially interfere into their legally acquired rights. “Based on several decisions of the Slovak Constitutional Court, the principles of legal certainty and protection of the trust of the citizens in the legal order are among immanent attributes of a state ruled by law,” said Gasparovic.
The President also said that by adopting this amendment, the Parliament amended an invalid law, which was not a part of the legal system yet. The Parliament adopted the recent draft amendment on February 11; however, the former amendment was only published in the collection of laws five days later, on February 16. The recent amendment deals with adjusting some time periods regarding the judicial candidates, which were problematic due to the changes adopted by the previous amendment.
The original, already approved amendment to the law on judges and lay-judges enacts publishing decisions of the courts on the Internet, public competitions for judges and court chairmen, public judiciary exams and abolishing rewards for judges. The intention of the amendment is to open the judiciary system to the public and to public supervision. It was originally adopted in December 2010, however, the Parliament had to discuss it again this February after the President vetoed it.
SITA
