The new rules for electing Constitutional Court judges proposed by the governing coalition are public and ready to be discussed. Judges should be elected by Parliament with a simple majority of at least 76 votes and must be at least 45 years of age, instead of 40 as is the case at the moment. They must have expert legal qualifications, regularly publish or give lectures and speak at least one widely spoken foreign language. Justice Minister Gabor Gal (Most-Hid) argued that given that next year nine out of the thirteen Constitutional Court judges will be elected for a period of twelve years "it's desirable to elect people who enjoy respect and trust in society". He wants to submit the draft to Parliament in September so that the law might come into force in November.
Candidates for constitutional judges should be elected by at least 90 votes by MPs , stated the Opposition OLaNO party in response to one of the Justice Ministry's proposals. The party wants its requirement to be included in the ministry's draft law. "If the candidates are elected only with a simple majority, as proposed by the Justice Ministry, the current coalition will choose its own candidates, who, if elected, will serve as constitutional judges until 2031," said party leader Igor Matovič.
The requirement of a Constitutional judge to be elected by at least 90 MPs is also part of a proposal by a group of Slovak lawyers supported by twenty-six non-governmental organizations and citizens' initiatives published last week. They also want to have public hearings of candidates and a renewal of the Constitutional court body every four years.
