“This polarisation within the Constitutional Court has brought us nothing good, and I will do my best to ensure that with new appointments and new proposals, this kind of thing does not happen again,” said the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, in relation to the recent developments at the Constitutional Court.
Watching Saturday’s news programme on the national media outlet, Radio-Television Slovenia (RTV), a good part of the audience was dumbfounded when President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar said that she herself would put an end to the polarisation at the Constitutional Court. As is well known, the judges had a very tense debate on the new Radio-Television Slovenia Act on Friday, but in the end, they made what many lawyers consider a controversial decision to end the suspension of the part of the law that gave way to the appointment of the new RTV Programme Council.
The President’s statement was shocking because it was a direct announcement of the appointment of judges who will not cause “problems” or be polarising. Apparently, she believes that dissent is disturbing and a threat. Particularly disturbing are those judges who are defending democracy and the rule of law today, in the highly politically left-leaning Constitutional Court. In accordance with our Constitution it is the President of the Republic who appoints the Constitutional Court judges, and the two or three judges who do not judge in accordance with the expectations of the ruling elite are presented as a “problem” that must be solved, so that similar “excesses” do not recur. It should be pointed out that it is actually precisely those two or three judges who are defending our constitutional democracy from becoming like Russia.
Changes to the Constitution will give her even more powers
This means that eminent jurists, such as Klemen Jaklič, who holds two PhDs in law from two of the world’s most prestigious faculties, will no longer exist, and thus, this is a direct announcement by the President of the abolition of constitutional democracy and the rule of law. It is a scandalous announcement by the President of the country, who, by the way, is also a lawyer, that from now on, she will only appoint judges who have graduated from the Bavcon Law School or come from one of the non-governmental organisations.
With this statement, the President of the Republic has shown that she is a true member of the Kučan school, that she does not understand democracy and the rule of law, and that she is a symbol and a threat of its destruction. The President of the Republic announced that in the future, she would work towards the composition of nine like-minded Constitutional Court judges.
It should be noted that amendments to the Constitution are currently underway, which will give the President of the Republic even greater powers in the appointment of judges of ordinary courts. The leftist will thus completely subjugate an already politicised judicial system. Meanwhile, the opposition New Slovenia party (Nova Slovenija – NSi) also supports the constitutional changes.
Andrej Žitnik
