Lawmakers in Bulgaria have given the green light to constitutional amendments which the ruling coalition says will strengthen and boost the independence of the judiciary.

At a first reading, the draft changes have been approved by a majority of 184 out of 240 MPs, with 34 against and 8 choosing to abstain.

The number of lawmakers who backed the bill suggests it might be adopted through a fast-track procedure, though this does not reduce the number of readings (there will be additional two).

Wednesday's vote comes after calls by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who earlier arrived in Parliament personally to demand support for the amendments.

Resistance against the proposed amendments has come only from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the largest opposition party, and left-wing Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABV), which has a minister in the government. Nationalist Ataka, which had long claimed it would never support the changes, voted "yes".