site.btaConstitutional Court Declines MP Requests to Interpret Supreme Judicial Council Powers

Bulgaria's Constitutional Court declined two requests by MPs related to the powers of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the Court said on its Thursday.

The first request, submitted by 68 MPs of GERB-UDF on November 28, was whether when the term of office of SJC members has expired, it continues to exercise its constitutional powers in full. Another question in the same request is whether §23 of the transitional and final provisions of the latest amendments to the Constitution, which has not been declared unconstitutional but refers to provisions of the Constitution that have been declared unconstitutional, applies.

The second request, submitted by 56 MPs of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) on December 5, is also for an interpretation of §23 of the Constitution.

According to §23, "until the election of a Supreme Judicial Council and of a Supreme Prosecutorial Council, the Judges Chambers and the Prosecutors Chamber of the pre-existing Supreme Judicial Council shall perform the functions of a Supreme Judicial Council and of a Supreme Prosecutorial Council, respectively, under this Constitution" with the exception of the election of a prosecutor general, a president of the Supreme Administrative Court and of the Supreme Court of Cassation.