Croatia Faces Temporary Lack of Constitutional Court Judges

The news in Croatian

Translation

At midnight, the mandate of ten Constitutional Court judges expired without the Croatian Parliament appointing replacements. There is no agreement between the SDP and HDZ on the candidates, which affects the constitutional order. The parliament is attempting to resolve the situation, especially due to the upcoming presidential elections. An agreement has been reached for nine out of ten candidates.

Exercise: Text comprehension

Question 1: How many judges have their mandates expired?

The mandates of ten Constitutional Court judges have expired.

Question 2: Did the Croatian Parliament reach an agreement on all the candidates?

No, they reached an agreement on nine out of ten candidates.

Exercise: Vocabulary

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▌07/12/2024

At the stroke of midnight, Croatia entered a period without a fully operational Constitutional Court as the mandated term for ten of its judges expired without their replacement being elected by the Croatian Parliament. The situation arises after the Parliament failed to reach a consensus on the selection of judges, a process entangled with political manoeuvres between the two major parties, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

The necessity to fill the positions is pressing, particularly with upcoming presidential elections, where the functioning of the Constitutional Court is crucial. Croatian Parliament's Speaker, Gordan Jandroković, expressed confidence and urgency in convening a session on Saturday morning to resolve the impasse, emphasizing the importance of maintaining constitutional order.

The SDP has been at the forefront of pushing for separate votes on the selection of judges and the confidence vote against Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. They argue that the entanglement of both issues was counterproductive and criticized it as a political strategy. "We are ready to vote once the process is separated," stated Siniša Hajdaš Dončić of the SDP, underscoring their commitment to constitutional stability.

Croatia Faces Temporary Lack of Constitutional Court Judges (Illustration)

Despite HDZ’s assertion that there should be no barrier to proceeding with the votes together, they have agreed to delay the process to avoid further turmoil. There is notable tension, with each party blaming the other for delaying tactics. HDZ spokesperson, Krunoslav Katičić, placed responsibility for the delay solely on the SDP, while conceding to avoid potential illegitimacy in constitutional proceedings.

The parties have reached an agreement on nine out of ten proposed candidates after extensive negotiations, but opposition lingered against one nominee, Ante Galić. His candidacy faced resistance primarily due to alleged previous connections with ongoing investigations, which a faction within the opposition party Možemo! objected to.

Prior to the eleventh-hour decision to delay the vote, concerns of a constitutional crisis, specifically an inability to hold presidential elections in a lawful manner, were prominently voiced. Miroslav Šeparović, President of the Constitutional Court, previously warned of a risk to democratic stability should the legal framework for governance remain incomplete.

The outcome of Saturday’s session is eagerly awaited as it remains crucial for Croatia to reaffirm its commitment to constitutional integrity and ensure the full reconstitution of the court ahead of pivotal political milestones.

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