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Desislava Atanasova and Borislav Belazelkov will be sworn in as constitutional judges

Photo: BGNES

The recent chairperson of the GERB-SDS parliamentary group, Desislava Atanasova, and the former judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation, Borislav Belazelkov, are to be sworn in as constitutional judges today. The two were elected members of the Constitutional Court from the parliamentary quota for a nine-year term.

The ceremony will be held in the presence of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the President and the Presidents of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Supreme Administrative Court. However, it is not certain whether the head of state Rumen Radev will respect the protocol.

The election of Atanasova and Belazelkov was challenged before the Constitutional Court by the president, as well as by Vazrazhdane party, BSP for Bulgaria and ITN party. 

In his reasons, the head of state points out that "the principles of openness, transparency, publicity and justification are violated and they cannot be replaced by formal discussions and procedures aimed at legitimizing a preliminary agreement between the ruling political forces". 

And according to the politicians, the nine-year mandate contradicts a decision of the Constitutional Court, according to which the newly elected judges must complete the mandate that had already begun 2 years ago.

The Supreme Bar Council and the Sofia Bar Association also expressed objection, and the Justice for All initiative called a protest yesterday in central Sofia.





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