An MP from the Civil Conservative Party (OKS), Ondrej Dostál, and independent deputy Igor Viskupič from the Ordinary People faction have called on Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič to appoint Jozef Čentéš to the post of general prosecutor, suggesting that December 10, International Human Rights Day, is a suitable date, the SITA newswire reported.
The MPs reminded the president that appointing constitutional officials is not only his right but also his duty. "Inactivity in such cases means a violation of the Slovak Constitution", Dostál stated, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
Candidates who will be running for seats in parliament on the slate of the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities party have also signed a call for Čentéš to be appointed. Čentéš was elected by parliament on June 17, 2011 in a secret ballot but Gašparovič first refused to appoint him until the Constitutional Court had decided whether the election was constitutional. The court issued its verdict on October 5 that the vote was proper but the president still has not appointed Čentéš, SITA wrote. Čentéš has lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court claiming a violation of his rights due to the president's failure to make the appointment.
The spokesperson for the Slovak president, Marek Trubač, told the Pravda daily that the constitution does not cite any specific date for appointing a new general prosecutor and insisted that appointments of heads of state agencies and bodies are not a mandatory duty for the president.
Source: SITA, Pravda
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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