Yesterday evening a few hundred people gathered outside Presidential Palace in Bratislava to voice their disgust at the actions of President Ivan Gasparovic and his consistent and defiant refusal to appoint Jozef Centes to the post of Attorney General.
The crowd demanded that the president stand down, but Gasparovic is apparently not only immune to public pressure and public opinion, but is so indifferent to it that he doesn’t even feel the need to provide substantiated explanations into the various accusations against him.
On the same day, four opposition parties (KDH, Most-Hid, SDKU and Most-Hid) lodged their petition against President Ivan Gasparovic to the Constitutional Court. This is the first time in Slovak history that MPs have tried to impeach the president, and the move comes after the standalone government of PM Robert Fico boycotted a special session to discuss the matter.
The blatant puppet-string behaviour of Gasparovic, who has always had a willing signature for all motions of Robert Fico’s two governments, therefore continues, as the president managed to keep the crucial Attorney General post vacant for a year and a half, meaning now the PM’s Smer-SD party can steamroll their candidate into the post.
That will be possible provided the Constitutional Court doesn’t issue a preliminary injunction, petitioned by Centes, which would keep the post vacant until the constitutional squabbling is resolved. Candidates for the post were supposed to be lodged by today, but parliamentary speaker Pavol Paska has extended the deadline until 29 January, pending the ruling of the Constitutional Court.
The opposition parties, who backed Centes’ nomination back in 2011, will not be nominating anyone to the post as they are fighting for the validity of Centes’ election. Meanwhile, former attorney general Dobroslav Trnka has openly said he would take up the post, but that so far nobody had approached him. Whether or not we believe that is one thing, but given his ‘reliable’ track record, it wouldn’t come as such a big surprise of he got the backing, again, of PM Robert Fico and the merry men of the Smer-SD party.
The way Mr Centes has handled himself through this farce speaks volumes about his character.
On the other hand, the actions / inactions of the government and their lapdogs speak volumes about their lack of any commendable traits.
Centes has quite rightly challenged the impartiality of two of the three judges appointed to hear his petition against the Presidents ruling. One being a “buddy” of Gaspar the Ghost the second being in cahoots with Toady and who’s son has posted his opinion that the Presidents actions were correct. Credit where credit is due, Jaromir Ciznar will not accept his nomination to the post until the courts settle the Centes issue – BnMs candidate has integrity, at least in this matter.
I witnessed this ‘protest’ from start to finish. It was the worst attempt at a protest I’ve ever seen. MAXIMUM 70 people were there, they chanted slogans for 20 mins tops then quietly dispersed. If this were in Ireland, Greece, Italy, Spain etc, there would be uproar over the actions of the president and he would be out on his arse before he knew what hit him. The passiveness in this country is ridiculous. Fair play to those who turned out for having some sort of initiative but what did they hope to achieve? Worst. Protest. Ever.
Some snow and no free bowls of goulash …a prime reason for the low attendance .
” boycotted a special session to discuss the matter” – Speaks volumes. This is a failed state. Are any of the other democracies bothered – appears not. Ship’s sinking fast with no hope.
Donkey Smug ???
BTW, a few hundred is a bit of an exaggeration ? A hundred perhaps ?