Abstract
This chapter analyzes constitutional politics in post-socialist Bulgaria from 1990 until 2014. After a brief outline of the constitution-making in 1990/1991, special emphasis is placed on the four amendment laws that reformed the new constitutional order in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. As the analysis shows, constitutional politics was dominated by the process of EU accession. In contrast, all amendment initiatives before and after this process were not able to reach sufficient majorities in parliament. A constitutional conflict between the state branches regarding the issue of legally admissible amendments had a decisive influence on the path of reform. The vast majority of the amendments dealt with the reform of the judiciary and the structure and competencies of the parliament.
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Notes
- 1.
The new constitutions of Serbia (September 28, 1990) and Croatia (December 22, 1990) had been enacted earlier, but still in the framework of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (see the respective chapters in this volume).
- 2.
Additionally, seven new transitional and concluding provisions were introduced.
- 3.
Some articles were changed several times.
- 4.
This first modern Bulgarian constitution was named after its place of origin, Veliko Tărnovo, which had been the capital of the second medieval Bulgarian Empire (1186–1396).
- 5.
It was published on July 13, 1991 in DV 56/1991 and entered into force that day.
- 6.
The other five never made it to the parliamentary plenum.
- 7.
Following the French example, the term ‘magistrate’ is used in Bulgaria as an umbrella term for judges, prosecutors and investigators.
- 8.
Another possible assumption regarding the court’s motivation is that a sheer hard-line judgment could have provoked the simple inescapability of elections to a GNA in order to make EU accession possible. As a consequence, then, this would have enabled the parliament to amend any part of the constitution, and the interpretative judgment of the constitutional court would have turned out a Pyrrhic victory.
- 9.
Art. 39, Sec. 1 of the Protocol concerning the conditions and arrangements for admission of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union (2005).
- 10.
The constitution of 1991 had introduced a threefold division of the judicial branch into the courts, the prosecution office and the investigating magistrates (see Art. 117–128 Const.). This tripartition caused great inefficiency and corruption, since these judicial bodies did not only act almost fully independently from the other state branches, but also from one another.
- 11.
Furthermore, the ombudsman was allowed to challenge laws before the constitutional court if he deemed them infringements on citizens’ rights and freedoms. Thus, the Bulgarian citizens were provided with—at least indirect—access to constitutional justice.
- 12.
Based on this, the new Criminal Procedure Code (DV 86/2005) left only about 3 % of all criminal cases under the investigating magistrates’ responsibility.
- 13.
After the end of the period under investigation here, Borisov’s government indeed presented a new draft amendment in spring 2015, aiming at new steps towards judicial reform as demanded by the European Commission. This draft included a reform of the SJC, particularly its division into two colleges (one for judges and one for prosecutors and investigating magistrates). On December 16, 2015, it was adopted by the NA in the third reading by a 189-to-39 majority with 1 abstention, following a “historical compromise” between GERB and DPS, but against the votes of the BSP (Mediapool 2015). However, the amendment caused bitter altercations within the government and the resignation of the minister of justice, Hristo Ivanov, since key elements of enhancing the responsibility of the prosecutors had been deleted between the first and the second reading. Additionally, it remained an open question at the time of finalizing this book, whether the amendment would not be annulled by the constitutional court, on the grounds of it being under the exclusive competence of the GNA.
- 14.
The electoral law can be understood as a part of the constitutional order (see Merkel 2010, 113ff.). Even if formally it has no constitutional status, it has constitutional relevance de facto due to its centrality for the political process.
- 15.
Keeping in mind the controversial influence this rigidity had on the reform policies of the 2000s (see above), this is a typical example for how formal rules can lead to diverging results under different circumstances.
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Appendix: Constitutional Politics in Bulgaria 1991–2014
Appendix: Constitutional Politics in Bulgaria 1991–2014
Dates of amendment and implementation | Articles | Constitutional subfields | Short analysis of the reform process |
|---|---|---|---|
09/25/2003/ 09/26/2003 (partly 01/01/2004) | Art. 129, 131–132 | • Judiciary | • Regular amendment by NA with broad three-fourths majorities (final vote: unanimously with 230 votes) • Main actors: all political parties in parliament, constitutional court (as antecedent veto player) • Duration: about 6 months |
02/18/2005/ 02/25/2005 (partly 01/01/2007) | Art. 4, 22, 25, 42, 85, 105 | • Human and civil rights • EU membership • Legislature • Executive | • Regular amendment by NA with broad three-fourths majorities (final vote: 226-to-5 majority without abstentions) • Main actors: all political parties in parliament; President and constitutional court (with regard to an antecedent interpretative judgment) • Duration: about 11 months |
03/30/2006/ 03/31/2006 | Art. 70, 84, 91a (new), 127–129, 130a (new), 150 | • Human and civil rights • Legislature • Other control/oversight agencies • Judiciary • Constitutional court | • Regular amendment by NA with slight three-fourths majorities (final vote: 184-to-34 majority with 1 abstention) • Main actors: governing parties BSP, NDSV and DPS + oppositional BNS • Duration: about 4 months |
09/13/2006/ 09/26/2006 | Art. 129 | • Judiciary | • Amendment invalidation by constitutional court • Main actors: Supreme Court of Cassation (applicant party) and constitutional court |
02/02/2007/ 02/06/2007 (partly 01/01/2008) | Art. 9, 59, 62, 81, 84, 130–132, 132a (new), 141 | • Military • State structure • Legislature • Judiciary | • Regular amendment by NA with slight three-fourths majorities (final vote: 191-to-28 majority with 7 abstentions) • Main actors: governing parties BSP, NDSV and DPS + oppositional BNS and ODS • Duration: about 9 months |
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Hein, M. (2016). Bulgaria. In: Fruhstorfer, A., Hein, M. (eds) Constitutional Politics in Central and Eastern Europe. Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-13762-5_6
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