President’s decision to elect judges overturned by Constitutional Court

President Andrej Kiska breached the basic rights of three elected judges when he refused to appoint them last July, reads the recent decision of the third senate of the Košice-based Constitutional Court. Back in July 2014, Kiska decided not to appoint five out of six candidates for three vacant posts of judges at the Constitutional Court that were elected by the Smer-dominated Parliament. All five rejected candidates subsequently challenged the president's decision at the Constitutional Court. The president's decision has been overturned and the president has been ordered to again consider the nominations and decide once more. On top of this ruling, the President's Office is expected to pay the three judges, whose rights he violated, costs associated with their court proceedings.