Rasi Won't Call Any Further Judge Election Without Political Deal First

Bratislava, 8 July (TASR) - House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) has said that he fears that calling another election of candidates for Constitutional Court judges without a broader political agreement would produce the same outcome as previous attempts, reiterating that, in the case of a political agreement, he is ready to announce an election immediately. Rasi told TASR this in response to an appeal from the Constitutional Court to resolve the shortage of judges. "As I consider the election of a Constitutional Court judge to be important, I have repeatedly called elections. Unfortunately, no candidates have applied for the post. I'm concerned that announcing another election without a broader political agreement won't produce a different result, and that formally calling elections without any realistic prospect of a solution would only undermine the entire process," Rasi told TASR. The parliamentary chair emphasised that he's prepared to announce the election of Constitutional Court judge candidates as soon as a political agreement is reached and credible candidates emerge to compete for the vacant posts. "I believe that the current situation is only temporary, but everything depends on a political agreement in Parliament," stated Rasi. Constitutional Court judge Jana Baricova's 12-year term expires on Friday, 10 July, but as Parliament has failed to elect candidates to replace her, she will continue to serve in office. The court has also been operating with one other vacant seat for almost three years now. The Constitutional Court has warned that this shortfall is having a negative impact on its decision-making and said that the situation must be addressed without delay by calling a new election of candidates. Parliament announced an election to find Baricova's successor in March, but no candidates applied, and lawmakers haven't dealt with the issue since then. Meanwhile, MPs have repeatedly attempted to elect candidates to replace Jana Lassakova, who resigned as a Constitutional Court judge in September 2023, but without success. Although candidates entered the race on several occasions, none secured the required number of votes. Under the standard procedure, Parliament elects twice the number of candidates needed, from whom the president appoints Constitutional Court judges. The Constitutional Court should have 13 judges but has been operating with 12 for almost three years. mf/df