UPDATED: Ex-PM Fico wants to be a Constitutional Court judge

Former PM Robert Fico (Smer) is to run for a seat as judge in the Constitutional Court. The information was confirmed by Smer MP Martin Glváč, who also personally handed in Fico’s nomination.

“I think that he is the most qualified candidate based on his previous work,” Glváč said, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

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Slovakia awaits a huge exchange of constitutional court judges since nine of the total number of 13 justices will soon be replaced, including the court’s chairperson. Glváč said that Fico could be a good chairman of the Constitutional Court in the future.

Veronika Remišová from OĽaNO criticised the nomination.

“The Constitutional Court is one of the most important institutions in the country and it will be unlucky for Slovakia if it becomes the extended hand of political parties,” she said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

Who else will run?

Among the candidates confirmed so far are Supreme Court President Daniela Švecová, Ján Šikuta and Supreme Court Judge and MP Peter Kresák.

Both state secretaries of the Justice Ministry, Monika Jankovská (Smer) and Edita Pfundtner (Most-Híd) will also run. Another candidate is former chair of the Sieť party, Radoslav Procházka.

The nominations are expected to be delivered to parliament by January 7. The nominees will be subsequently interviewed by the parliamentary constitutional committee on January 23, and MPs are expected to vote on the final 18 candidates at a session starting on January 29, the Sme daily reported.

The president will then select the final nine nominees who will be appointed as new Constitutional Court judges, as the Constitution stipulates.

Kiska will send his representative to hearing

Commenting on the final list of candidates, President Andrej Kiska said that there are enough candidates from whom the parliament can select future Constitutional Court judges.

“There is no real obstacle that would prevent the parliament from choosing, out of the 40 candidates, those who meet the moral and professional criteria,” Kiska told the press on January 8.

He did not comment on Fico’s candidacy.

In his opinion, there are several candidates he would like to appoint, as well as those that seem to be problematic. There are two main criteria for the future Constitutional Court judges: be professional and moral.

The president also confirmed that he would use the right to send his representative to attend the hearing of candidates by the parliamentary constitutional committee. It will happen for the very first time, the Denník N daily reported.