Competency

The position and powers of the President of the Slovak Republic are regulated by the Constitution of the Slovak Republic (full text). According to the Constitution, the President is the head of the Slovak Republic.

President:

  • represents the Slovak Republic externally and internally and, through his decision-making, ensures the proper functioning of the constitutional bodies,
  • exercises his office according to his conscience and convictions and is not bound by any orders,
  • represents the Slovak Republic externally, negotiates, and ratifies international treaties, may submit to the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic a petition for a decision on the conformity of a negotiated international treaty, which requires the consent of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, with the Constitution or with a constitutional law,
  • receives, appoints, and dismisses heads of diplomatic missions
  • convenes the constituent session of the National Council of the Slovak Republic,
  • may dissolve the National Council of the Slovak Republic if the National Council of the Slovak Republic has not approved Government Manifesto within six months of the appointment of the Government of the Slovak Republic, if the National Council of the Slovak Republic has not taken a decision within three months on any Government bill with which the Government has attached a vote of confidence, if the National Council of the Slovak Republic has been unable to hold a quorum for more than three months, even though it has not been adjourned and even though it has been repeatedly summoned to meet in the meantime, or if the National Council of the Slovak Republic has been adjourned for a longer period of time than permitted by the Constitution. President may not exercise this right during the last six months of his term of office, during war, a state of war or a state of emergency. The President shall dissolve the National Council of the Slovak Republic if the President has not been impeached in a popular vote on the removal of the President,
  • signs laws,
  • appoints and dismisses the President and other members of the Government of the Slovak Republic, entrusts them with the management of ministries, and accepts their resignation; it dismisses the President and other members of the Government in the cases referred to in Articles 115 and 116,
  • appoints and dismisses heads of central bodies, senior state officials, and other officials in cases provided for by law; appoints and dismisses university rectors, appoints university professors, appoints and promotes generals,
  • confer honours, unless he empowered another authority to do so,
  • remits and commutes sentences imposed by criminal courts and pronounces sentences by individual pardon or amnesty,
  • is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces,
  • declares war on the basis of a decision of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, if the Slovak Republic is attacked or if this results from obligations under international treaties on collective defence against attack, and concludes peace,
  • may, on the proposal of the Government of the Slovak Republic, order the mobilisation of the armed forces, declare a state of war or declare a state of emergency and their termination,
  • declares a referendum,
  • may return a bill to the National Council of the Slovak Republic with comments within 15 days of receipt of the adopted bill,
  • reports to the National Council of the Slovak Republic on the state of the Slovak Republic and on major political issues,
  • has the right to request from the Government of the Slovak Republic and its members information necessary for the performance of his tasks,
  • appoints and dismisses judges of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic, the President and the Deputy President of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic, receives the oath of the judges of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic and the oath of the Prosecutor General,
  • appoints and dismisses judges, the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic, the Prosecutor General and three members of the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, receives the oath of office of judges,
  • decides on the government's delegation and gives its consent to the exercise of its powers under Article 115(3).