site.btaABV Will Not Support Constitutional Revisions on First Reading

ABV Will Not Support Constitutional Revisions on First Reading

Sofia, September 4 (BTA) - ABV will not vote in favour of the revisions to the Constitution on first reading, party leader and former president Georgi Purvanov told a news conference Friday. On second reading ABV will support the two provisions related to the division of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the authority vested in the inspectorate.

"We have never had any doubts about the need to divide SJC into two colleges. We have never objected to the idea of increasing the authority of the inspectorate, but we have refused from the very beginning to accept the manner in which the choice of the two colleges will be resolved," Purvanov explained. "If the matter of the political and the political quota for the judicial college has been resolved with relative reason, the case with the prosecution is far from that. The ratio there is six to six, which means politicians will have the opportunity to block the work of the prosecution," he declared.

ABV will support the two items related to the division of the SJC and increasing the authority of the inspectorate, but cannot be relied upon to support the third item, the ABV leader said, remarking that his party has always been most consistent in its position. ABV has never undertaken to agree that someone should crush the prosecution with political tongs, he said.

Purvanov also commented the draft anti-corruption bill and pointed out that Bulgaria has enough anti-corruption authorities which should do their job. It is suggested that a unit should be established to be headed single-handedly, and that by a person nominated by the Council of Ministers, he explained, expressing doubts about the results of such a move.

ABV will no longer vote confidence in advance, Purvanov said.

ABV also commented on the Pre-school and School Education Bill passed on Thursday. Mariana Todorova said her party is definitely against the funding of private schools by the state.