A draft declaration calling on the Supreme Judicial Council to suspend the procedure for electing a new chief prosecutor until the final ruling of the Constitutional Court, as well as until the final adoption of the envisaged changes to the Constitution, was submitted to the parliament by deputies from GERB- SDS, „We continue the change-Democratic Bulgaria” and Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
The text was signed by Boyko Borisov and Denitsa Sacheva from GERB, Nikola Minchev, Hristo Ivanov and Atanas Atanasov from „We continue the change-Democratic Bulgaria”, Mustafa Karadayi and Delyan Peevski from Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
„Following the constitutional principle of separation of powers and non-interference in the affairs and decisions of the judiciary, we, the people’s representatives in the 49th National Assembly, express our will for reform in the judiciary through legislative initiative and decisions, having clearly stated that we are preparing constitutional changes in the part „Judiciary“, the text states. The authors of the declaration consider:
„Given the above, we appeal to the SJC to suspend the procedure for electing a new chief prosecutor of the Republic of Bulgaria until the final ruling of the Constitutional Court, as well as until the final adoption of the envisaged changes in the Constitution“, the petitioners state.
“Due to the great public interest in the upcoming election of a new chief prosecutor, the people’s representatives in the 49th National Assembly consider that the conduct of the procedure for his election, before the legislative initiatives for constitutional reform, will not achieve the expected public trust for a fair and transparent choice.”
“The dismissal of the chief prosecutor by the Supreme Judicial Council and the subsequent decision to open a procedure for the election of a new one, as well as the initiated proceedings before the CC, was a reason for serious public tension and created an expectation for legislative changes, including constitutional ones in the chapter „Judicial Power“ of the Constitution ”, the reasons state. According to the deputies, Bulgarian citizens expect the election of a new chief prosecutor according to new and clear rules, after a broad public debate and a calm environment.
„All this requires that the election of a new chief prosecutor be held after the final verdict of the Supreme Court, as well as after the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution and the law on the judiciary,“ the petitioners also point out.
