site.btaConstitutional Court Admits for Consideration Part of President’s Euro Referendum Claim

The Constitutional Court (CC) admitted for consideration part of President Rumen Radev’s claim against National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova’s decision to bar as inadmissible his proposal to the Assembly for a national referendum on Bulgaria’s preparedness to adopt the euro in 2026, the CC wrote on its website on Tuesday.

The CC decided to consider in substance the following question from the President: “Based on her constitutional powers, does the Chairperson of the National Assembly have the competence to judge on the requirements for the admissibility of holding a national referendum as she denies a proposal made by an entity empowered by the law?”

The question refers to provisions in the Constitution concerning the functions of the National Assembly and its Chairperson, the CC said.

The court unanimously denied as inadmissible Radev’s request to declare unconstitutional Kiselova’s rejection of his referendum proposal. It also denied as inadmissible Radev’s request to interpret constitutional provisions in view of the question: “Must the National Assembly pronounce itself on a proposal for a national referendum made by a constitutional authority empowered by the law?”

The CC unanimously denied the President’s request to interpret constitutional provisions pertaining to fundamental constitutional principles and the conduct of referendums.