Ondrej Kozolka, J.D.
He has been the mayor of Volkovce since 1994.
Legal definition and competencies:
The basic unit of local self-government of the Slovak Republic is the municipality. By law and under the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, the City Mayor constitutes the city's highest executive authority and represents the village. The Mayor's legal status is regulated by a series of legislation:
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Slovak Constitution - Article 69
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Law no. 369/1990 Coll. on Municipal Administration as amended
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Law no. 346/1990 Coll. on elections to municipalities’ self-government authorities, as amended
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Law no. 253/1994 Coll. on Legal Status and Salaries of Mayors of Cities and Municipalities, as amended, and more
The Mayor is elected by the local citizens every four years by secret ballot, based on universal, equal and direct suffrage (Art. 69 par. 3 of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic and Sec. 1 of Act No. 346/1990 Coll. on Elections to Municipal Administrative Bodies).
The Mayor's office is a public office, and is not under any employment contract. The mayor is not employed by the village, though some claim he is a village employee.
Considering the importance of the mayor's office, the law regulates any possible conflict of interests within the organization and running of the village's administration.
For this reason the mayor cannot:
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be a member of the Village Council;
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be an employee of the village where he was elected;
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be the statutory body of a government agency or government-subsidized organization created within the village where he was elected;
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chair a region's administrative body;
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manage a civil service authority;
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hold another function under a special law;
The mayor's duties are set out in provisions of Sec. 13 of the Municipalities Act. The Mayor:
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calls and chairs meetings of the Village Council and the Village Board and signs decisions made by them;
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administers the village;
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represents the village in relations with government authorities, legal entities and natural persons;
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decides on all administrative matters within the village that are not reserved by law or the village charter for the village Council;
The mayor's term of office ends with the election and inauguration of a new mayor. The mayor's mandate may also be terminated for other reasons. The mayor may resign his mandate. The process is set out in Sec. § 13a of the Municipalities Act. Concurrently, this provision determines the reasons for terminating a mayor's mandate. Besides other reasons, a mayor may lose his mandate if he is legally convicted of a deliberate criminal act. The village council may not dismiss the mayor, only the municipality's citizens can vote to dismiss the mayor in cases set out in the Act.
