Constitutional Court institutes legal proceedings for the cassation of the presidential elections

The Constitutional Court has instituted legal proceedings for the cassation of the presidential elections. Magistrates must rule on the legality of the elections for president and vice president of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev and Margarita Popova, respectively as a result of the claim filed by overall 71 MPs from the 41st National Assembly. The initiative for declaring the ballot illegal belongs to the BSP (Bulgarian Social Party) and was supported by the MRF (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) and Ataka party. According to the claim submitters, the elections should be cassated because of the detection of "numerous violations and manipulations" during the election process. The most conspicuous irregularities involve the vitiated secrecy of the ballot, the prohibitive electoral lists, which deprived thousands of citizens of their voting rights as well as the involvement of Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov in the election campaign along with the vote buying and other violations. The constitutional judges Emilia Drumeva, Blagovest Punev and Rumen Nenkov, who is father of the MP from the parliamentary group of GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria), Alexander Nenkov were selected for rapporteurs on the cassation case. BSP explained that the party would not come out with an official position on the rapporteurs of the case. According to MPs from Ataka party, the appointment of Nenkov's father is outrageous and the judge must file his objection. GERB MPs stated in the National Assembly that the Bulgarian Constitution regulates the prerogatives and procedures for hearing the cases by the Constitutional Court, which is an independent body and they will not allow themselves to discuss the organization of its work.

 The court must rule on the case until December,1 because pursuant to the Constitution, the disputes regarding the legality of a presidential election are decided by the Constitutional Court within one month after the elections. The newly elected President and Vice President, Plevneliev and Popova, respectively should take office in late January. They have already received official certificates for their election from the Central Election Commission.

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