The Chairman of the parliamentary group of “Democratic Bulgaria“ Nadezhda Yordanova criticizes the governing program of the majority for the lack of guarantees for judicial independence and deep reforms in the security services. In a statement to the media, she pointed out that the proposed ideas for changes to the Constitution do not ensure the necessary democratic accountability of the prosecutor's office.
Yordanova commented on the ideas for changes to the basic law, expressing serious reservations about reducing the necessary majority for the election of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) from two-thirds to three-fifths. According to her, this is an attempt to facilitate the future securing of a parliamentary majority.
“The ideas presented by the ruling party for amending the Constitution do not contain any proposals for more guarantees of judicial independence and democratic accountability of the prosecution service. Without true democratic accountability, the prosecution service will continue to cover up the outrages of the ruling party and will continue to be used as a bludgeon“, she told the media.
She recalled that the two-thirds majority requirement was introduced on the recommendation of the Venice Commission in order to achieve a broad political consensus. “If the ruling party is preparing to elect a new Supreme Judicial Council in two years with much fewer votes and much smaller and different support, this would be a bad sign for Bulgaria“, added Yordanova, emphasizing her party's readiness to participate in the debate with its own proposals.
Regarding the idea of a completely new Penal Code included in the governing program, Yordanova pointed out that the modernization of penal policy requires a careful approach and broad public debate. According to her, the request for a new code currently looks more like political PR than a realistic program for change.
The MP also commented on the removal of the so-called “home book“ of potential candidates for acting prime minister. She expressed her readiness for a debate, noting that the model in which the last regular cabinet performs the functions of an official one during early elections is prevalent in other democratic countries.
Yordanova criticized the general layout of the governing program, defining it as voluminous but incoherent. She drew attention to the use of a party logo on the document: “I understand that in this National Assembly the majority is large, but the state symbol of the Republic of Bulgaria is the coat of arms, not the logo of “Progressive Bulgaria“. It is important to respect the symbols of statehood, especially when the request of the ruling party is precisely to uphold it.“
According to Yordanova, the biggest gap in the program is the lack of reform in the security sectors. According to her, without profound changes, the country cannot solve its main problems, as the services currently function as “black holes“ that serve the powerful of the day.
In the context of security and on the occasion of the murder of Georgi Kuzev in Plovdiv, she recalled the request for a hearing in parliament of the Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev and the Chairman of the National Security Agency Plamen Tonchev. The purpose of the hearing is to establish whether the institutions are identifying and effectively countering radicalization networks among young people.