Prague, Sept 23 (CTK) – The Czech Senate approved the nomination of Jaromir Jirsa, 49, former head of the Union of Judges, for a judge of the Constitutional Court (US) by secret ballot, in which he was supported by 55 out of 69 votes cast Wednesday.
After his appointment by President Milos Zeman, the US will have a full 15 members.
Jirsa, until now deputy chairman of the Municipal Court in Prague, said in his speech to the Senate that he would like “to continue fighting excessive formalism.”
He said the task of procedural legislation is not to complicate access to law, but to guarantee respect for and enforceability of law.
Jirsa, who has focused on civil justice, said common sense is not applied in some cases.
He said he wants to contribute to the right of people to a just trial.
Jirsa said this right is violated in 80 percent of cases with which the US judges deal.
He said if elected Wednesday, he will not seek re-election. “The mandate of a constitutional judge should not be repeatable,” he said.
Miroslav Antl (Social Democrats, CSSD), chairman of the Senate constitutional-legal committee, said he received the best references regarding Jirsa’s performance as a judge and his approach to cases.
“He did not allow any political interference in any cases. He will not allow any superiors to tell him how to decide,” Antl said.
Jirsa will fill in the post in the US which Vlasta Formankova left when her mandate expired after ten years on August 5.
