site.btaSocialist Party Leader Mikov: Bill Amending Constitution "On Hold", Parliamentarism Suffers Heavy Blow

Socialist Party Leader Mikov: Bill Amending Constitution "On Hold",Parliamentarism Suffers Heavy Blow

Sofia, July 26 (BTA) - Mihail Mikov, leader of the Bulgarian
Socialist Party (BSP), said the first bill of amendments to the
Constitution introduced in Parliament was "put on hold" and
parliamentarism suffered a heavy blow. He was addressing a BSP
plenum on Sunday.

Mikov said last week his party would vote against the bill.

On Friday the first reading of the bill sponsored by Parliament
Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva and a group of MPs was . dropped
from Parliament's agenda. Tsacheva, a GERB member, herself moved
 that the debate be dropped from the agenda, reasoning that a
majority should be gathered for the introduction of a new bill
amending the Basic Law. Later in the day, the new bill was
submitted in Parliament, signed by 180 MPs.

Mikov commented that one bill was introduced and discussed for
two months, then two thirds of it were changed, it was not put
forward for debate in a plenary where its pros and cons could be
 highlighted, and finally it was replaced quietly by a new
initiative. He added that this undermined the point of
parliamentarism, and the right to initiate legislation gave way
to political spin-doctoring.

Mikov added that the Constitution would continue to be
discussed, although the serious debate with arguments in
Parliament was replaced with numerous unenlightened statements
from people who have never read the whole Constitution.

The BSP plenum approved 84 of the mayoral nominees. The regional
 capitals whose candidates were approved are Blagoevgrad (Milan
Bogdanski), Bourgas (Evgenii Mosinov), Veliko Turnovo (Valentin
Lambev), Lovech (Mincho Kazandjiev), Montana (Kamelia
Trifonova), Pernik (Erik Rangelov), Rousse (Bozhidar Yotov),
Sliven (Kolyo Milev), Smolyan (Stefan Sabroutev) Sofia (Mihail
Mirchev), Stara Zagora (Stefan Shishkov) and Shoumen (Krassimir
Kostov).

The youngest mayoral candidate is 30 and the oldest is 69.
Thirteen candidates are in their 30s, 36 are in their 40s, 31
are in their 50s, and 12 are over 60.