On May 9, at 10.00, the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court will be convened in which the judges will have to nominate the candidate of the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who afterwards has to be confirmed by the Saeima (Parliament).

The work group which was established to lead the procedure of nomination of the candidates to the position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has received proposals regarding four judges who might be nominated as the possible candidates at the Plenary Session. Three of those possible candidates have written applications that they do not agree to the nomination, revoke their candidatures or withdraw from the list of the nominees to the position.

However, according to the information of the head of the work group Gunars Aigars, until the Plenary Session the carried out procedure was only of an informative nature to initiate discussions, but it is not binding for the judges in the course of the Plenary Session. During the session, the same or other candidates may be nominated, and the candidates may take a decision to run for the position or withdraw their candidatures in the course of the Plenary Session.

The decision of the Plenary Session is regarded adopted if the majority of the total number of all the judges has voted for it. To advance a candidate to the position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for confirmation, he/she needs at least 24 votes of the judges, as at the present moment the total number of the Supreme Court judges is 46.

Under the law “On Judicial Power” the work of the Supreme Court is led by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who from among the appointed judges upon a proposition of the Plenary Session is confirmed in the position by the Saeima for the term of seven years. The law does not state any limitations regarding a repeated term. Andris Gulans was confirmed in the position of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1994, repeatedly – in 2001. His term of office expires on June 13 this year.

 

Information prepared by

Head of the Division of Communications of the Supreme Court Rasma Zvejniece

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 7020396, 28652211