site.bta Public Opinion Is Skeptical, Critical of Legal Order in Bulgaria, Survey Shows

Public Opinion Is Skeptical, Critical of Legal Order in Bulgaria, Survey Shows

Sofia, March 10 (BTA) - Public opinion is skeptical and highly
critical of legal order in Bulgaria, a survey commissioned by
the Center for Legal Initiatives Association shows. The survey
was conducted by Gallup polling agency and has been published in
 the 10th issue of Legal Barometer - a civil initiative for
periodic monitoring, analysis and evaluation of the situation
and development of the legal order in Bulgaria.

The methodology for conducting the survey represents a system of
 indicators of predominantly quantitative character for
monitoring and evaluation of key components of the legal order:
the activity for creation of legal provisions by the National
Assembly and by the bodies of the executive authority;
constitutional and judicial control over the laws and bylaws;
interpretative activity of the supreme courts; implementation
and application of European Law; practice of the European Court
of Human Rights. 

The study covers the period July-December 2014. It reveals
traditionally low confidence in domestic institutional
authorities and a quest for external corrective measures for
their drawbacks. A large number of the respondents said they
would turn to the European Court of Human Rights, NGOs or the
media to solve their problems. Most of them also said that the
problem is not how badly the laws in Bulgaria are written, but
the fact that they are not applied.  
 
 On a six-month basis the total number of acts adopted by the
National Assembly was the smallest compared to similar periods
previously, the head of the project, Daniel Vulchev, said. This
is explained by the extraordinary parliamentary elections and
the short term during which Parliament could operate. Only 41
acts were passed, which makes six to seven laws a month. Four of
 these are new, 17 involve amendments and supplements and 20 -
ratifications. Once again, there are laws which have been
amended and supplemented on several occasions, such as the State
 Budget Act which was changed four times in 2014.

 This edition of Legal Barometer is focused on countering
corruption in the Interior Ministry and the judiciary and
features as special guest the former MP Plamen Panayotov.