„Vazrazhdane“ has submitted to the National Assembly a bill to supplement the Electoral Code, which provides for the prohibition of persons sanctioned under the global „Magnitsky“ law, as well as by other countries, international or European bodies for corruption, from holding any state, local or party positions in Bulgaria. The political organization specified that the proposal was made by the chairman of the economic team of „Vazrazhdane“ - former MP Viktor Papazov. According to the submitters, this is the first initiative of its kind that introduces a direct mechanism for restricting access to power of persons for whom there is proven evidence of corruption, established by international institutions.
The draft law includes a number of amendments and additions to the Electoral Code, the Administration Act and the Anti-Corruption Act, with its main emphasis being the introduction of a new criterion for holding elective and appointive positions - the absence of sanctions for corruption imposed by foreign countries or international bodies.
Among the proposed changes in the draft law is the introduction of a mandatory declaration by which every candidate for elective office - regardless of whether it is a MP, MEP, mayor, municipal councilor, president or vice president, will certify that he has not been sanctioned by another country for corruption. The bill also prohibits individuals with similar sanctions from being part of the management of political organizations, and the same requirement will apply to management positions in the state administration, diplomatic missions, inspectorates, state agencies and independent regulatory bodies. Additionally, already registered political organizations, whose management includes sanctioned individuals, will have to bring their activities into line with the new requirements within two months after the law enters into force, failing which the sanctioned individuals will be ex officio removed by the court.
The explanatory memorandum to the bill states that the participation of individuals convicted of corruption by international institutions in political and public life represents a “devastating blow to statehood and democracy“.
“Corruption is the main scourge of democracy and has been the means of controlling state and local government in Bulgaria for the past 36 years. The so-called "transition to democracy" has degenerated into a "transition to tolerated and nurtured corruption at the highest levels of power" - the reasons also state.
The political organization emphasizes that while international bodies and countries have identified specific cases of corruption by Bulgarian citizens, committed specifically in Bulgaria, Bulgarian institutions have not taken adequate action.
The reasons also cite the example of the chairman of the MRF - New Beginning, Delyan Peevski, sanctioned by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for "direct and indirect participation in corruption, use of influence, control over institutions, bribery of public officials and illegal appropriation of assets".
According to "Vazrazhdane" This legal loophole allows individuals with clear evidence of involvement in corrupt practices to continue to hold public office and influence government. The main goal of the bill is to introduce a clear and objective barrier to participation in power by individuals recognized as corrupt by international bodies. This includes not only MPs and mayors, but also appointable positions such as deputy mayors, municipal secretaries, directors of state agencies and inspectorates.
The political organization also motivates its proposal with the fact that the activities of the CPC and the CPC and the prosecutor's office in the fight against corruption remain extremely unsatisfactory, and the lack of effective investigations against senior state officials undermines public trust. “Vazrazhdane“ insists that this bill lays a real foundation for the fight against corruption, and not just a declarative one.
The chairman of the political organization Kostadin Kostadinov recalled this week: “Since Bulgaria is a Euro-Atlantic country that is a member of NATO. NATO is led by the USA - our, according to propaganda, strongest, main, only political ally, protector and defender. For us, it is more than logical that the Euro-Atlantic majority, which we call the Euro-Atlantic crowd in this parliament, would support such a bill.
Ultimately, the global “Magnitsky“ law fights against corruption, which GERB, DPS, PP-DB, and all Euro-Atlantic metastases in the Bulgarian parliament claim to be fighting against.“
“Vazrazhdane“ states that they expect all political forces that publicly claim to be fighting against corruption to support this bill. It will be considered on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at a meeting of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs in the National Assembly.