BRATISLAVA, July 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The Slovak Constitutional Court Thursday suspended the ratification of the European Constitution, which Slovak parliament approved two months ago, court chairman Jan Mazak said.

    The court accepted for further proceedings a complaint filed by citizens, saying that the constitutional treaty should have been ratified in a referendum.

    The court postponed the validity of the parliamentary decisionuntil it issues the final verdict. The court at the same time issued an injunction, which hinders President Ivan Gasparovic to ratify the document.

    Mazak admitted that the court could make a decision in 2005, but he at the same time stressed that the proceedings would be complicated.

    "This is a great challenge for the Constitutional Court. It isan important case...and the court regards it as its duty to explain some issues and make them clear once and for all."

    The Constitutional Court is now to decide whether ratificationby parliament is sufficient, or whether a new constitutional bill must be passed on Slovakia's entry into another state entity, on which citizens must decide in a referendum.

    A group of people around the Conservative Institute in Bratislava has filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court. They object that their constitutional right to take part in the administration of public affairs has been violated as they had no chance to decide in a referendum on Slovakia's joining an alliancewith other countries.

    The Slovak parliament approved the European constitutional treaty by a crushing majority of votes on May 11, 2005.

    Slovak President Gasparovic raised some objections to the EU constitution, however he claimed that he would not block its ratification.

    According to earlier results of the EU statistical agency Eurobarometer, 61 percent of Slovaks support the EU constitution, while 11 percent reject it and 28 percent are undecided. Enditem