site.btaMikov Tells Borissov Socialists Will Not Support Constitutional Amendments

Mikov Tells Borissov Socialists Will Not Support  Constitutional Amendments

Sofia, July 22 (BTA) - Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Chairman
Mihail Mikov told GERB party Chairman and Prime Minister Boyko
Borissov on Wednesday that the parliamentary group of BSP-Left
Bulgaria will not support the proposed constitutional amendments
 concerning the judicial reform.

Emerging from the meeting with Borissov, Mikov told journalists
that BSP's support for the Judicial Reform Strategy does not
imply that the Constitution should be amended without a serious
analysis of the problems in the judiciary, a position which was
first expressed back in January. Mikov believes that the drive
to amend the Constitution is motivated by political interests
which create tension.

When the individual parties rise above their narrow interests,
it will be possible to consider legislative amendments, which
could mean changing the Constitution if necessary, Mikov said.

For his part, Borissov complained he had been misled into
thinking that, after months of talks, BSP was finally inclined
to support the constitutional amendments. Borissov tried to tell
 Mikov that the questions which the constitutional amendments
fail to address will be regulated by other laws, to which Mikov
responded that only after these issues are regulated will they
be willing to talk.

On Thursday, the ruling majority will do everything within its
powers to make sure that the constitutional amendments become a
fact, Borissov said.

He went on to say that his view that judges should be elected by
 judges and prosecutors should be elected by prosecutors has
been misrepresented in some media which are run by "gas
intermediaries who lost hundreds of millions a year as a result
of my actions." Borissov said these media manipulate the public
opinion.