The State Commission for Elections and Control of Funding of Political Parties (hereinafter “the State Commission”) is an independent body in charge of the control of funding of political parties and election campaigns, of the election management and issuance of election results.The State Commission has 14 members, of which ten are appointed by political parties represented in the National Council of the Slovak Republic; the other members are appointed by the President of the Constitutional Court, the President of the Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor and the President of the Supreme Audit Office.

The term of office of the State Commission is four years and begins on the day of taking an oath to the Speaker of the National Council. Every citizen of the Slovak Republic aged 35 and over, permanently residing in Slovakia, who possesses integrity, is fully legally competent and has completed second-degree university education may become member of the State Commission. A member of the State Commission may exercise a maximum of two consecutive terms of office.

The State Commission is chaired by a person elected by the National Council by secret suffrage. The current chairman is JUDr. Eduard Bárány DrSc., former judge of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic.

Decision-making of the State Commission requires at least three quarters of its members present at sessions and an absolute majority - i.e. at least eight – is necessary for the validity of its decisions.

A stronger qualified majority of three quarters is required for some decisions, i.e. to assess:

  •  whether the election silence has been violated,
  • whether the pre-election ban on polling has been violated,
  • on the registration of a list of candidates or
  • exclusion of a candidate from the list of candidates

No appeal against decisions of the State Commission may be filed but its decisions may be subject to court review.

 

State Commission’s competences:

  • reviews and registers the lists of candidates for elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic and for elections to the European Parliament,
  • supervises the readiness of lower-degree electoral commissions to fulfil the tasks hereunder,
  • manages the professional summarising unit in fulfilling the tasks hereunder,
  • checks the funding of political parties,
  • checks election campaign funding and conduct,
  • act as a body of appeal against decisions of the Ministry of Interior issued pursuant to special regulations concerning funding of political parties and in matters of election campaign,
  • negotiates the allocation of time-slots for TV and radio broadcasts during the election campaign based on the proposal of the broadcaster,
  • determines and publishes interim and final election results,
  • prepares a record of election results,
  • issues credentials to candidates elected to the National Council of the Slovak Republic and the European Parliament,
  • announces the accession of a substitute Member of the European Parliament,
  • informs the Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic on the accession of a substitute or a failure to exercise the mandate in the case laid down by the Act in special parts,
  • provides guidance for voting results processing,
  • hands over the election documents to the Ministry of Interior for safekeeping,
  • fulfils other tasks pursuant to special parts of the Act of Election and pursuant to special regulations.

In addition, the State Commission assists, upon request, political parties and candidates by providing guidance on the implementation of the rules on funding of political parties and election campaign.