Murderers and mob bosses won't be entitled to vote

Almost 1,700 prisoners from 18 Slovak prisons won't be able to vote in the general election that is due to be held on Saturday, TASR learnt on Tuesday. Prisoners won't be entitled to vote if they've been convicted of an especially serious crime, have been stripped of their 'legal capacities' (certain rights) or if they are foreigners or minors. This concerns 96 persons on remand and 1,548 convicted prisoners, said Adrian Baláž, head of the general director's office of the Justice and Prison Guards Department (ZVJS). This means that infamous Slovak murderers such as Ondrej Rigo, Tibor Polgári and Alojz Kromka a.k.a Lojzo the Cleaner, well-known mob bosses such as Branislav Adamčo and Mikuláš Černák as well as members of the acid bath gang, which acquired its name due to its favoured method of disposing of dead bodies, won't be able to participate. "The right to vote in Slovakia's general election that is set to take place on March 5 is available to a person on remand or convicted person who is a Slovak citizen and is in custody or serving a sentence in Slovakia at the time of the election, is at least 18 years old and doesn't have any limitations on his right to vote", said Baláž. "Limitations on the right to vote concern cases of the protection of public health, of those convicted of committing an especially serious crime, or if a person is stripped of their legal capacities", added Baláž. The turnout among remand and convicted prisoners was 8.29 percent at the last general election in 2012. The turnout among prisoners in the 2014 presidential election was much higher - 32.42 percent.