BRATISLAVA, December 8, (WEBNOVINY) — If “Old Berousek” [founder of famous Czech circus-editor’s note] was alive, he could envy what a circus politics can make from an institution, which should not be dragged into political events at all. Incumbent Prosecutor General Dobroslav Trnka further told a news conference on Wednesday that he does not feel that the government and parliament are fulfilling their commitments from the program statement by their current actions. He does not like the effort to change the secret ballot into a public one in the procedure to elect the new prosecutor general in parliament. “Is this some expression of a new democracy?” he asked.
Trnka emphasized that in spite of what is happening now, the Office of Prosecutor General has been and will be fulfilling its duties at least until February 2 of next year, when his mandate expires. In the meantime, he will not allow a political takeover of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The incumbent prosecutor general is to contest the first round of the second vote of prosecutor general at the Constitutional Court. “I think that the first round of the second vote was in contradiction to the Constitution, so I personally, as a person of Dobroslav Trnka, will turn to the Constitutional Court with a request for interpretation of some rules linked with a secret ballot to elect a prosecutor general,” Trnka added.
He said that the Cabinet and Parliament have all legal options to “turn the Prosecutor General’s Office into an institute of Public Prosecutor”. He claims that he would accept all changes that would result from an amendment to the Slovak Constitution. Nonetheless, he considers as unacceptable “obstructions or dubious amendments to laws”. “I will use all options until February 2, 2011 which the Constitution and laws of this country offer in order to prevent such course of events,” Trnka added.
Trnka rejected allegations about influencing deputies in his favor. According to him, he has such information only from the media. He has not yet decided whether he would accept a new candidacy. He believes that following the latest developments, the coalition will have to agree on a new candidate with the opposition.
SITA