THE JUDICIAL Council will decide on personnel issues, including the election of the Supreme Court chair, through secret ballot despite President Andrej Kiska’s objections.
MPs overrode Kiska’s veto on July 4, confirming the original wording of the law on judges. MPs of the ruling Smer party argued that the secret ballot is more democratic, the TASR newswire reported.
"If an official is elected in an open vote, they may misuse their knowledge who voted for and who voted against," said Smer MP Boris Susko as quoted by TASR.
Kiska refused to sign the law after the parliament passed it for the first time, arguing that in the current situation it would be better to preserve transparent balloting at the Judicial Council.
Opposition MPs agreed with Kiska. Former justice minister Lucia Žitňanská of the Most-Híd caucus said that secret balloting on personnel issues at the Council has nothing to do with democratic principles, and added that transparency would contribute to improving the situation in Slovakia’s judiciary, TASR reported. Another former justice minister, Daniel Lipšic of the Nova movement, said that secret balloting allows for manipulation and corruption, TASR wrote.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
presented in its Flash News postings.
