FORMER Interior Ministry state secretary Maroš Žilinka, now a prosecutor at the Special Prosecutor’s Office, will become the candidate of the opposition People’s Platform - which includes the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) and Most-Híd - to head the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ), the TASR newswire reported, citing Most-Híd caucus leader László Solymos on May 14. The platform will however only propose Žilinka’s candidacy on the condition that the election of the NKÚ chairmen in parliament is conducted openly (i.e. recorded) instead of in a secret ballot, Solymos added.
Whether or not the candidate is finally elected to the post depends on Smer, as the opposition alone does not have enough votes to secure his selection. The vote should take place on May 28.
Prime Minister Robert Fico has publicly promised the post to the opposition, which had previously agreed that Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) should propose the nominee. Two of SaS’ previous candidates – Kamil Krnáč and Vladimír Klimeš – supported by the People’s Platform failed to be elected in parliament, however. Following the departure of five MPs from SaS, the People’s Platform announced it would no longer work with SaS and decided to come up with its own nominee. The NKÚ is currently chaired by Ján Jasovský, a HZDS nominee whose official term of office expired last year.
