Ad-hoc Committee in charge of Constitutional Changes  Rejects Proposed Amendments

Sofia, July 7 (BTA) - The ad-hoc Parliamentary Committee in
charge of adoption of changes to the Constitution rejected
proposed texts amending the Basic Law.  Six MPs voted against,
five - in favour and one abstained.

During the debate, it transpired that ABV, the Bulgarian
Socialist Party (BSP), the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
(MRF) and Ataka were against.

According to the Committee Chair, Dimiter Lazarov, the texts are
 very likely to be approved in the plenary hall.

According to BSP's Yanaki Stoilov, the proposed changes are
controversial and do not contribute to resolving real problems
in the judiciary.

MRF considers that the split of the Supreme Judicial Council
into a college of judges and a college of prosecutors and the
removal of secret voting will not prompt higher independence of
magistrates and elimination of the possibilities for pressure.

Yavor Notev of Ataka declared himself against reduction of the
term of the Council from five to four years.

ABV's Luchezar Nikiforov said that the sponsors of the Bill have
 not made an analysis and impact assessment and that a random
reform is proposed. 

 In turn, Atanas Atanassov of the Reformist Bloc said that
people are expecting a change in the way justice is dispensed.
He also thinks not all courts should have the authority to refer
 to the Constitutional Court.
   
Emerging from the meeting of the committee, Chairman Dimiter
Lazarov said the texts will be in plenary by a week or two,
after the committee is ready with its report.
   
Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov advised against hasty
conclusions, because what he sees is a purely political game and
 he does not like that particularly.
   
If Parliament blocks the judicial reform then the responsibility
 will rest mainly with the political forces, he added.