Even if many of the judges attending the October 18 General Assembly of Judges asked that the 13 candidates for the post of permanent members of the Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM) should present their work programs, most of the judges didn’t back this proposal for the reason that the programs were published on the official website of the Council, IPN reports.
Court of Appeals judge Domnica Manole said the judges at the General Assembly would have easier made a decision as to who to give their votes if the candidates had presented their programs. “It was considered that the publication of the work programs in the Internet was enough. I think the candidates should have presented their programs as we could then demand that the future members of the CSM respect the promises made to their colleges,” she stated, adding that the candidates should have stated their opinions on the problems experienced in the judicial system and how they can be solved.
Program coordinator at the Legal Resources Center Ion Guzun said that every candidate for the post of member of the CSM should have presented their work program with definite measures before their colleagues. “I expected that the current members of the CSM would also speak about the results achieved and the impediments faced,” he stated.
Three new members of the Supreme Council of Magistrates were elected at the General Assembly of Judges on October 18. These are Anatol Turcan, Dumitru Visterniceanu and Tatiana Raducan. Another three candidates didn’t garner the necessary number of votes. The voting will be rerun in December, when the General Assembly will be convened again.
The Supreme Council of Magistrates has 12 members. Three of them are chosen by Parliament from among titular professors. Another three are named by the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, the minister of justice and the prosecutor general. The other six are elected at the General Assembly of Judges by secret vote.
