site.btaSofia City Court Dismisses as "Completely Untrue" Allegations of Preferential Treatment in Registering Certain Political Parties

Sofia City Court Dismisses as "Completely Untrue" Allegations of Preferential Treatment in Registering Certain Political Parties

Sofia, February 6 (BTA) - In a position circulated to the media on Monday, the leadership of the Sofia City Court (SCC) dismissed as completely untrue the statements of representatives of political parties alleging that preferential treatment has been extended to certain parties while posing obstacles to other parties in their bid to enter the parliamentary elections.

Citing the quick registration of Hristo Ivanov's Yes, Bulgaria! Party, former MP Georgi Kadiev last week accused the court of applying a double standard. After he was expelled from the Socialist Party, Kadiev set up a party of his own, called Normal State. At the end of January 2017, the party was denied registration by an unappealable judgment of the Supreme Court of Cassation.

The SCC denied that examining the motion for registration of Yes, Bulgaria! within 17 days and rendering judgment immediately was an exception. The court proceeded in the same way with regard to the Volya Party and the Communist Party of Bulgaria.

Similarly, the application for changes in the circumstances of the Bulgaria without Censorship Party was scheduled for examination in a public session on February 2, and during the same session the court rendered judgment admitting the changes for entry in the register.

"Entries in the register on the basis of judgments in the political parties company cases are made only after such judgments become enforceable, which is why expectations that the court will reckon with inconclusive judgments when issuing documents for contesting the elections are absolutely illegitimate and contrary to the law, regardless of which political party concerned," the SCC pointed out.

Registered political parties, like Bulgaria without Censorship, are free to contest elections in accordance with their current legal status by the date of issue of the certificate for participation in the elections, the court explained.

The changes in circumstances regarding Bulgaria without Censorship, judgment on which was rendered on January 7, were submitted for entry in the register as late as on January 24, whereas the submission has to be examined in a public session with the parties being duly summoned at least a week before the date of the hearing, and the judgment becomes enforceable seven days after being issued, the court added.

"The SCC leadership and judges aspire and make efforts to comply with the procedural time limits established by the law and to apply the law strictly. Therefore, the negative assessments and qualifications given to the SCC by certain political leaders are categorically undeserved," the court declared.