site.btaTwo Versions of Constitutional Changes, PM - Parliamentary Groups Talks Continue Wednesday

Two Versions of Constitutional Changes, PM - Parliamentary Groups Talks Continue Wednesday

Sofia, July 21 (BTA) - There are two versions of the
constitutional changes, related to the judicial reform, it
transpired after a meeting between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov
 and the leadership of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms'
(MRF) parliamentary group. The talks with MRF were held in two
stages: the first between Borissov and the group's leadership,
and the second, in the presence of National Assembly Chairperson
 Tsetska Tsacheva and Reformist Bloc Co-floor Leader Radan
Kanev.

MRF proposed to submit new draft changes of the Constitution
around which there is a consensus, backed with the signatures of
 180 MPs. According to MRF leader Lyutvi Mestan, this will
accelerate the judicial reform. If the current Bill is adopted
on first reading this Friday, the second-reading discussions
will be held only within two months. If a new Bill is submitted
with the support of the signatures of 180 MPs and extraordinary
sittings are held in August, it could be fully enacted by the
middle of September, Mestan explained. In his opinion, it is
better to adopt the constitutional changes before the local
elections in October. The MRF proposal opens wide the doors to
achieving a far broader consensus compared to the current Bill,
he added.

Radan Kanev said that the parliamentary group had not had time
to gather and discuss MRF's proposal. At the present moment,
this proposal is unacceptable, he noted. If the Bill in question
 has 180 sponsors and is similar to the one, which is about to
be put to the vote by the National Assembly on Friday, it is
possible to discuss its accelerated adoption based on the
schedule, proposed by Mr. Mestan, Kanev also said. Any other
option cannot serve as a basis to hold talks and reach a
consensus. During the Tuesday discussions, there was a series of
 principled differences, related to the legal consequences of
the constitutional change, Kanev said adding that, compared to
previous talks, during the current ones there was a step back
regarding the possibility of reaching a consensus.

Borissov said that there are two possibilities: adoption of the
existing Bill with the support of 160 MPs or collection of 180
signatures for a new Bill that will be adopted in an accelerated
 procedure. Asked which of the two versions he prefers, Borissov
 replied: "If I am sure that we will have 160 votes, I prefer
this option." He added, however, that they have made a number of
 calculations, which fell short of this figure. "I will continue
 with the efforts tomorrow: I rely on the colleagues from the
Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Bulgarian Democratic Centre,
with whom I will meet."

The Prime Minister commented that a failure of the attempts to
change the Constitution will imply a failure of the judicial
reform. If this happens, it is Bulgaria that will be the biggest
 loser. We have one cause: it is the State, the report by
Brussels, our reputation not only inside but also outside the
country," the Prime Minister said. The contemplated reforms do
not affect either the current officials of the Prosecution
Office or the court because they will take effect after the
expiry of their term and the election of the new Supreme
Judicial Council, said Borissov.