site.btaLate-Elected Supreme Court Judges Will Not Have Full Term of Office

Late-elected Constitutional Court judges will not have a full mandate, stated a Constitutional Court decision published on Thursday.

President Rumen Radev previously referred the matter to the Constitutional Court. The head of State wanted a mandatory interpretation of the texts of the basic law, which determine the length of the term of office of a judge in the Constitutional Court, as well as how long a term would last if it started late. 

The published interpretation of the Constitutional Court stated that a constitutional judge, elected or appointed after the stipulated term, exercises his powers only for the remaining term of the mandate, counted from the constitutionally due moment for the renewal of the composition of the Court.

The interpretation is about a text in the basic law according to which the mandate of the judges of the Constitutional Court is 9 years. They cannot be re-elected to this position. The composition of the Constitutional Court is renewed every three years from each quota according to the order determined by law.

The decision of the Constitutional Court was adopted unanimously.