site.btaThree Parliamentary Groups Plan Tabling Joint Bill Revising Constitution

GERB-UDF, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) are planning on preparing a joint bill of revisions to the Constitution. "There are plans that the MPs of GERB-UDF, CC-DB and MRF will prepare within days a joint bill of amendments to the Constitution, to submit it and start the procedure," Radomir Cholakov MP (GERB) told the press after a meeting of the parliamentary committee on constitutional matters.

He said the bill will be moved this or early next week so that the debate can start in September. The procedure will last between one and three months. "There is a way to make this happen by the end of the year," said Cholakov.

He said that they will try to make sure the changes are as "consensual as they can get" but admitted that there are differences between CC-DB and GERB-UDF.

"What will be tabled will be a platform for debate. Nothing will be rushed," he added, noting that efforts will be made to convince MPs from other parliamentary groups to join the discussion.

Cholakov hopes that the constitutional revisions will be backed by a majority of 180 votes in the 240-seat Parliament.

He noted that his GERB-UDF group does not want the revisions to include the issue of the length of mayors' term in office. He also said that CC-DB's idea to make May 24 Bulgaria's National Day has diverted attention from the proposed changes in the judiciary.

As for a bill of constitutional revisions unveiled a while ago by MRF, Cholakov said that GERB sees there "good and useful ideas" and have no significant differences with it.

The MRF representatives would not comment the proposed constitutional revisions and said they would make a comment on Wednesday.

It was announced during Tuesday's constitutional committee meeting that a panel of constitutional experts would advise the MPs on changes to the changes in the basic law. The meeting was attended by former constitutional judges Blagovest Punev, Rumen Nenkov, Plamen Kirov, as well as Ekaterina Mihaylova.