site.btaThree Independent MPs Withdraw Signatures from State Budget's Constitutional Court Petition

Three independent MPs - Nikolai Drenchev, Ivo Ruschev and Alexander Arangelov, withdrew their signatures from the petition challenging the constitutionality of State budget provisions, submitted to the Constitutional Court, Drenchev said at a briefing in the National Assembly and added that they consider the referral to the court a mistake.

The three MPs were expelled from Vazrazhdane's Parliamentary Group on February 9 after four Vazrazhdane representatives on the Sofia Municipal Council nominated by them did not support the group's candidate for Sofia Municipal Council Chairman.

At the end of February, the chairman of the parliamentary group of There is Such a People, Toshko Yordanov, and Vazrazhdane Deputy Chairman Petar Petrov announced that they had referred the State budget provisions to the Constitutional Court over allegedly unconstitutional texts. 

According to Drenchev, referring the State Budget Act to the Constitutional Court blocks its implementation. All capital expenditures of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, which must finance municipalities, are included in the Constitution. In his words, the petition blocks citizens from getting new streets and sidewalks, municipal roads, water supply systems, repairs to municipally owned buildings, etc.

Drenchev said that he and his two fellow MPs decided that it is right to withdraw their signatures and give the municipalities the opportunity to start spending the capital expenditures as it is set in the budget. He added that they are not fully satisfied with the budget and believe there are improvements that can be made, but the budget should be implemented, good or bad.