/ world today news/ Eight deputies from the Bulgarian Democratic Center signed minutes before 1:00 p.m. on Thursday as proponents of the changes to the Constitution, BNR reported. These are the people’s representatives from the “Leader” party with co-presidents Krasimira Kovačka and Stefan Kenov, which was renamed the Bulgarian Democratic Center political party. With these signatures, it is expected that the bill with the constitutional changes will be submitted to the National Assembly’s registry on Friday.
GERB, the Reform Bloc and the Patriotic Front signed the bill as sponsors. The Bulgarian Democratic Center replaced the ABV in the search for broad support for changes to the Constitution. Parvanov’s party refused to give their support, as they are against the division of the SJC.
Most likely, on Friday, deputies from the majority will introduce the changes affecting the judicial reform. People’s representatives from GERB are still collecting signatures with the intention of having the widest possible support for starting the procedure. Over a hundred signatures have already been collected to start a procedure.
BSP leader Mihail Mikov explained that the party will not support self-serving changes to the Constitution: “We will not support such self-serving changes to the Constitution, the sole purpose of which is to take control of the judiciary, pressure on the judiciary, packaged as reform. We will not support. Nor will we participate as introducers, and then we will present when there is a draft introduced because so far all conversations have been on sheets with no personal signatures.”
The chairman of the DPS Lyutvi Mestan explained that the reasons for the changes remain a problem: “If someone says to the DPS – support the Constitution to strengthen the power of the fascists in the government, I think they have the wrong address. We are ready for talks with the majority. They do not have a consolidated position. It is precisely the proponents who must convince us that any proposed text can to be voted on by the ordinary National Assembly.”
Rumen Petkov again recalled the ABV’s position that the decision to split the Supreme Judicial Council into two should be made by the Grand National Assembly: “With this change in the Constitution, in order to change the SJC, it means from now on to “open the door” for every National Assembly to make changes in the Constitution. I don’t notice much intensity since last week, when we very clearly stated our arguments . These arguments rest on solid legal expertise. They are not political, they are a matter of legal expertise.”
60 signatures are needed to start the change procedure, recalled Atanas Atanasov from the Reform Bloc:
“Perhaps they will have to wait for some of the other groups to make a decision, but the procedure has started. Mikhail Mikov must be asked questions every day. Does he like the work of the judicial system? Rumen Petkov and Professor Borisov to the specific questions – they answer, we are not experts in this field, but we will not support it. I hope that they will evolve in the process of work.”
The co-chairman of the Patriotic Front Valery Simeonov stated that he was satisfied with the negotiations and that most of their proposals for changes to the Constitution were accepted: “The initiative to introduce the bill actually belongs to GERB and RB. I can assure you that since yesterday there has been no news for us, especially the PF. We signed by noon. All members of the group signed the bill, and my signature is the third in a row . Our proposals were accepted. Thanks for the constructive tone of the negotiations! From our point of view, everything is going well.”
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