site.btaConstitution Day Marked in Bulgaria, Sparking Comments from Politicians, Public Figures

April 16 is celebrated as Constitution Day in Bulgaria in commemoration of the adoption of the Tarnovo Constitution in 1879. The occasion sparked comments by Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova, President Rumen Radev, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, among others. 

The first Bulgarian Constitution was adopted in Tarnovo (present-day Veliko Tarnovo) on April 16, 1879, marking the birth of Bulgarian constitutionalism, Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova said here on Wednesday. Since the Tarnovo Constitution, the parliamentary form of government in Bulgaria has remained without alternative, she added, addressing MPs in Parliament on occasion of Bulgaria's Constitution and Lawyers’ Day.

She added that the Tarnovo Constitution remains the most democratic of its time, noting that Bulgaria has since adopted four basic laws. 

"At times of economic inequalities and impunity of the wealthy and the powerful, it is important to remember that constitutional government is based on equality before the law and the dignity of all people," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev stated in a greetings address on the Bulgarian Constitution and Lawyers Day, quoted by his Press Secretariat. 

The rule of law, justice, and strong democratic institutions form the basis of every free and sustainable society, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said on the Council of Ministers’ official Facebook page on Wednesday, marking Constitution Day. Zhelyazkov also extended greetings to legal professionals in Bulgaria on their professional holiday. 

If the Constitution were written today, it might not necessarily be better, but it would certainly be different, Director of the Law Programme at the Centre for the Study of Democracy Dimitar Markov said in an interview with BTA’s Konstantin Kostov and Marin Kolev on Wednesday.