site.btaParliament Votes Rules of Procedure for Electing Constitutional Court Judges

Parliament Votes Rules of Procedure for Electing Constitutional Court Judges

Sofia, September 11 (BTA) - Parliament voted rules of procedure for electing Constitutional Court judges on the National Assembly's quota on Friday.

The nominations of judges are made by MPs and parliamentary groups in written form within five days of the rules' adoption. The Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee checks whether the candidates meet the criteria for this office at a separate meeting.

The candidates are heard at an open meeting of the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee, which is broadcast live on Parliament's website. Parliament's meeting for electing constitutional judges is also broadcast live and candidates are allowed to attend. The MPs will vote openly through the computerized system for voting. The candidate who gets more than half of the votes of attending MPs will be considered elected to the position.

The Constitutional Court consists of 12 judges. One third of them are elected by Parliament, one third is appointed by the President and one third is elected by the general assembly of the Supreme Administrative Court and Supreme Court of Cassation judges.