CONSTITUTIONAL lawyer Ján Mazák has become the third candidate for judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, his candidacy was approved by the Judicial Council on January 26, the TASR newswire reported.
The Judicial Council did not elect a sufficient number of candidates on December 1, 2014. In the election, only judge Ladislav Duditš from Košice and former lawyer at the ECHR Zuzana Dlugošová succeeded. Mazák’s candidacy was proposed by the Judicial Council's chairperson Jana Bajánková, vice-chair Ján Vanko and member Milan Ďurica. In today's election, Mazák received the 10 votes required.
“What makes me particularly happy is the fact that Slovakia can finally submit the list of candidates with three names of the candidates for ECHR judge,” noted Mazák after the election, as quoted by TASR. “Now we’ll wait for the further steps of the Government and the bodies involved.”
Slovakia was not able to fill the prestigious position at the Strasbourg court. Slovak Representative Ján Šikuta continues to work at the court even after his tenure expired on October 31, 2013. Therefore, since the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe turned down two lists of candidates, Slovakia has to submit a third one. The list has to consist of three names from which the members of the Parliamentary Assembly will select Šikuta’s successor.
A duel for the post of being the remaining candidate on the list was held in December between constitutional lawyer Peter Kresák and judge of the Supreme Court Alena Poláčková, who was proposed by Justice Minister Tomáš Borec and the Slovak Association of Judges. However, neither of them gained sufficient votes from the Judicial Council members.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
