site.btaVazrazhdane Refers to Constitutional Court Procedure for Appointment of Chiefs of State Intelligence Agency, State Agency for Technical Operations

Vazrazhdane has referred to the Constitutional Court amendments to the laws governing the State Intelligence Agency (SIA) and the State Agency for Technical Operations (SATO).

They are requesting that the recent changes adopted by the National Assembly be declared unconstitutional.

Under the previous procedure the head of SIA was appointed by presidential decree on the proposal of the Council of Ministers, while now he is elected by the National Assembly. “This constitutes a direct violation of the principle of separation of powers and removes constitutionally established powers from the head of state,” Vazrazhdane added.

The party warns that this move politicizes a key national security service, which should remain independent and professional. The appeal also notes that the law was adopted without sufficient debate and with procedural violations.

The Vazrazhdane parliamentary group also filed a separate appeal with the Constitutional Court challenging the recent amendments to the Special Intelligence Means Act in relation to SATO. According to the deputies, the new provisions are unconstitutional because they remove the president’s authority to appoint the agency head and transfer it to the National Assembly.

Vazrazhdane argues that this creates a risk that the agency could become a “tool for political repression. 

On October 30, Vazrazhdane filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court requesting that the amendments to the State Agency for National Security) law be declared unconstitutional. Under the changes, the head of the agency would be elected by Parliament on the proposal of the Council of Ministers.