Constitutional Committee Recommends 29 Candidates for New Election

Bratislava 22 March (TASR) - Members of the parliamentary constitutional committee have agreed that all 29 candidates for Constitutional Court judges meet the legal prerequisites for an election in Parliament, TASR learnt on Friday. The absence of three candidates at the hearing raised a debate in the committee, with some members suggesting to take their absence into account before the vote. Candidates Stanislav Irsak, Pavol Malich and Marek Tomasovic excused their absence in advance. The representative of the President's Office on the committee said that these three should withdraw their candidacies because they haven't undergone hearings and it wasn't possible to ask them questions. Committee chairman Robert Madej (Smer-SD) pointed out that the committee can vote only about whether or not the candidates meet the prerequisites. During the debate, he said that it is possible only to appeal to their sense of morality, nothing else could be done about it. The candidates for Constitutional Court judges include Pavol Boron, Martin Javorcek, Michal Matulnik, Vlastimil Pavlikovsky, Edita Pfundtner, Peter Straka, Anton Dulak, Eva Kovacechova, Katarina Cechova, Rastislav Kassak, Peter Melicher, Stanislav Irsak, Michal Duris, Ivan Fiacan, Stefan Ksenak, Pavol Malich, Radoslav Prochazka, Milos Madar, Lubos Szigeti, Marek Tomasovic, Michal Truban, Libor Dula, Radovan Hradek, Daniela Svecova, Ladislav Dudits, Peter Molnar, Robert Sorl, Martin Vernarsky and Zuzana Pitonakova. Most of the 29 candidates are running again after the first vote failed, whereas five are running for the first time. The election of candidates for Constitutional Court judges will be held at the parliamentary session that starts on March 26. MPs should elect 18 candidates and submit them to the president, who should appoint nine of them to replace judges whose term in office expired on February 16. am/mf