Hearings begin on selecting constitutional judges

Three days of hearings of candidates for posts of Constitutional Court judge, before MPs of the parliamentary constitutional committee, started on Wednesday. The hearings will be held in alphabetical order and without any time limits, thus possibly prolonging the proceedings. The committee will decide on the candidates only after all the hearings have been completed. Individual candidates for constitutional judges will first introduce themselves, specify the reasons why they've applied for the post, their work experience, publishing activities, participation in lectures, seminaries and scientific conferences and their most significant career achievements. Next, they'll answer questions posed by MPs and the president. The hearing of Smer-SD leader and former prime minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is among those taking place on Wednesday. Committee chairman Róbert Madej (Smer-SD) declined to comment on speculation as to whether Fico meets the legislative requirements for the post. Coverage of the hearings is accessible online.