Radio Slovakia International

The Role of the Slovak Presidency

RSI

The first round of presidential election will take place on Saturday, March 21st from 7am to 10pm. The voters can choose from seven candidates, including the incumbent president. Slovak Republic as a parliamentary republic does not provide the president with influential powers. The Slovak president is rather one who represents than one who decides. He is the commander in chief of the armed forces and represents Slovakia abroad. The president has the authority to negotiate and ratify international agreements. He receives, appoints and recalls heads of diplomatic missions, rectors of universities, chairmen and judges of both, the Constitutional and the Supreme Courts and General Attorney. He can also recall the Prime Minister in case of a vote of no confidence. In the same case he can also recall the ruling government. The president signs laws passed by the Slovak Parliament. He also has a right of veto and can return laws to parliament with comments attached. The president also awards state honours. The president summons the opening session of the Slovak Parliament and also has the authority to dissolve parliament if the institution fails to pass the program statement of the cabinet within six months of the day the cabinet was appointed, or if parliament has been dysfunctional and unable to adopt decisions for more than three months. However, the president cannot exercise this authority during the last six months of his or her elected term, or during wartime or a state of emergency.


Since 1999 the president has been elected in direct elections by secret ballot. Any citizen of the Slovak republic aged 18 at the day of elections has the right to vote. Usually, the elections take place from 7am to 10pm, but the mayor of the town can decide that the vote will start sooner. According to the Central Election Commission, in the first round of elections the candidate, who gains absolute majority of all eligible voters, becomes the president. If there is the second round, there are two candidates competing, those who gain most votes in the first round. In the second round, the candidate with more votes becomes the president. The results are announced by the Central Election Commission. The winner starts in their new position on the 15th of June at the noon. Any suggestions on constitutionality and legality of the elections can be addressed to the Constitutional Court.