BULGARIA’S MINISTER OF JUSTICE RESIGNS

Bulgaria’s Minister of Justice, Hristo Ivanov, resigned on 9th of December. He announced he was stepping down shortly after Bulgaria’s Parliament approved the constitutional amendments for the division of the Supreme Judicial Council into two colleges – one of judges and one of prosecutors.

He said the resignation was prompted by the approval of one of the texts on the constitutional amendments, which concerns the quota distribution of the Supreme Judicial Council and the last minute changes made to that text at the proposal of ABV party, a junior coalition partner in the ruling government.

"Although today is a day when important steps will be made toward strengthening the rule of law, this vote has become a symbolic step towards the suspicion that in Bulgaria one can speak more and more about the rule of the Prosecutor General", he said.

"This is why, I can say with a great relief that I will no longer exercise the powers of Justice Minister and will make all steps necessary to resign," Ivanov added.

Immediately after Ivanov announced his resignation, the leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria and co-leader of Reformist Bloc (a coalition partner in the ruling government), Radan Kanev, said he would go into opposition and that the government of Boyko Borissov could no longer rely on his support in his personal capacity of an MP.

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov accepted the resignation of the justice minister.