/ world today news/ The Minister of Justice Hristo Ivanov intends to “freeze” the judicial reform until the local elections in the fall. This is clear from a statement by Ivanov himself before judges in Burgas on Friday evening.
The minister motivated the postponement of introducing the changes to the Judiciary Act in Parliament with the need for further discussions with the magistrates. The judicial law presented exactly one month ago was sharply criticized by judges, prosecutors, investigators and the academic community, and some of the texts were declared dangerous and even unconstitutional.
Initially, the leadership of the Ministry of Justice intended to submit the changes to the CCA for a vote by the Council of Ministers in the second half of July. Behind the wording that more discussions are needed related to judicial self-governance and the role of general assemblies of magistrates, declarations of property status and career growth in the judicial system, as well as electronic justice, Ivanov practically “freezes” the judicial reform somewhere until the local elections , which will be held on October 25. It would be difficult to assume that public discussions would be possible in the months of July and August, when there is also the judicial vacation, so that their earliest holding can be expected in the second half of September and in October.
Magistrates, with whom BGNES spoke, admit that behind the postponement of the submission of the ZSV there was a tactical move on the part of the Minister of Justice. Four members of the Constitutional Court will be replaced in the fall. One of the concerns of the leadership of the Ministry of Justice is that some of the ideas for judicial reform will not be attacked before the Supreme Court. If this happens now, there is a strong possibility that the proposals will be declared unconstitutional. A possible other composition of the SC, filled with four new members from the quota of the president, the parliament and the court, could be more supportive of Hristo Ivanov’s ideas and even lead to a revision of the notorious decision #3 of CC, which only allows the Grand National Assembly to change the basic law in the part about the judiciary. Another reason for the postponement of the reform may lie in the upcoming change of inspectors in the Inspectorate of the SJC. The rulers who are the initiators of the changes in the constitution could trade support for its repair also from MPs from BSP and DPS, in exchange for the assurance that the opposition will be given the opportunity to broadcast some of the new inspectors of the judiciary, which the National Assembly is about to elect . Changing the Constitution without the support of some of the MPs from the BSP and/or DPS is theoretically impossible, and for now both parties are categorically against it.
Whatever the reason, the postponement of the introduction of the amendments to the ZAV in the National Assembly and the probable failure of the constitutional reform can also be seen as a personal failure of the minister. Hristo Ivanov motivated his participation in government precisely with the need for judicial reform. The same was done by the wing of the Reform Bloc, around DSB leader Radan Kanev. Eight months later, they seem increasingly lonely, and in addition, Ivanov came into conflict with a large number of magistrates who did not like his ideas.
In this context, on Tuesday, June 30 at 3:00 p.m., a key meeting of the Temporary Commission for amending the constitution will be held in Hall 134 of the National Assembly. It is expected that the opinions on changing the basic law of the SJC, the Supreme Courts, the Prosecutor’s Office and the investigation, the Inspectorate of the SJC and the High Bar Council will be announced at it. At the meeting of the commission on July 3 (Friday), the opinions of non-governmental organizations and the academic community will be heard.
A meeting is scheduled for July 7 (Tuesday), at which the members of the commission are scheduled to hold a first vote on the proposals for changes to the Constitution. Then it will become clear whether at this stage in the National Assembly there is an attitude towards securing the minimum majority of 160 people’s representatives to change the basic law. So far, only 132 MPs have declared their support.
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