A justice Aija Branta has been elected a Vice-President of the Constitutional Court
Today, on 3 June, election of a Vice-President of the Constitutional Court took place, and a justice Aija Branta was unanimously elected the Vice-President.
The election was organized due to the fact that on 22 May of this year the former Vice-President Viktors Skudra died unexpectedly.
Ms. Aija Branta has been a judge of the Constitutional Court since 2004. She obtained considerable professional experience when working as a judge of the Supreme Court. Likewise, Ms. Aija Branta has worked in several international organizations that are directly related with the work of judges, increasing of effectiveness of courts and strengthening of independence of courts.
The Constitutional Court elects a Vice-President from among justices of the Constitutional Court by secret ballot. A Vice-President helps the President of the Constitutional Court to fulfil his duties, as well as substitutes the President of the Court during absence of the latter.
At the beginning of the meeting of the Constitutional Court, a justice of the Constitutional Court Ms. Vineta Muižniece asked the Court to assess suspension of her term of office. Ms. V. Muižniece submitted her request based on a decision of the Prosecutor General regarding initiation of a criminal procedure against Ms. V. Mužniece. Pursuant to the authority granted to the Constitutional Court to decide on procedural issues regulated in the Constitutional Court Law and Rules of Procedure of the Constitutional Court, the Constitutional Court has decided to suspend the term of office of the justice V. Muižniece up to the next decision of a person directing the proceedings in respect to Ms. V. Muižniece.