CHANGES TO BULGARIA’S CONSTITUTION ON PARLIAMENTARY AGENDA

The draft amendments to Bulgaria’s Constitution are on the Parliament’s agenda. 14th of May is the deadline set by the Chairman of Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva, by which the MPs from the ruling majority are supposed to present the up-to-date version of the proposed amendments to the Constitution, in writing, specifically the part concerning the Judiciary. The draft texts will be offered for consideration to all parliamentary groups and they will have to decide whether to join in tabling the proposals.

A parliamentary committee is to be set up by the end of May. The draft amendments are expected to be voted at first reading before the MPs’ summer break and to be finally adopted at the beginning of the September session.

Amendments to the Constitution require three-fourth majority of the MP votes, i.e. 180 votes from all MPs in Bulgaria’s Parliament. The parties supporting the cabinet have 137 MPs altogether.

The constitutional reforms are focused mainly on the functioning and changing the composition of the Supreme Judicial Council. The idea is to divide it into two chambers - one of judges and one of prosecutors and investigating magistrates.