site.btaConstitutional Court Initiates Proceeding on National Security Agency Act Amendments

At the request of MPs, the Constitutional Court initiated a proceeding to review the constitutionality of amendments to the State Agency for National Security (SANS) Act, adopted on October 10.

Under the revisions, the SANS Chair will be elected by Parliament on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers. Previously, the power to appoint the SANS chairperson was vested in the President of the Republic. President Rumen Radev imposed a veto, but Parliament overrode it on October 23.

The amendments were referred to the Constitutional Court by MPs Peter Petrov and Georgi Hrisimirov of Vazrazhdane on October 30. The move was backed by 59 MPs, including three members of the opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, 13 of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, and others from Velichie, Petrov told BTA.

When submitting the petition to the Court, Petar Petrov of the Vazrazhdane party told BTA that the amendments are unconstitutional, as they violate the principle of separation of powers and undermine the President’s role as a balancing institution between the branches of government.