Krum Zarkov: The Constitution sets us a clear goal - a democratic, legal and social state. It has not yet been achieved

“Our Constitution of 1991 sets a clear goal, written in its preamble - the transformation of Bulgaria into a democratic, legal and social state. These three concepts are interconnected and must be considered as a whole.“. This was stated by the Chairman of the National Assembly of the BSP Krum Zarkov during the discussion organized by the left "Constitution and Democracy", dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the solemn adoption on 12.07.1991 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria by the Seventh Grand National Assembly. In his words, this goal has not yet been achieved and if we make constitutional changes, they will be successful only if they lead to it. “The Constitution should not be allowed to be harnessed to solve short-term political goals, which usually ends with bad results“, he was categorical.
According to him, the Bulgarian democratic Constitution does not contain only a procedure for democracy, but also elements of the essence of popular sovereignty, which is realized at different levels under different forms.
Zarkov emphasized that we must remember the importance of the Constitution for Bulgarian statehood.
Constitutional judge Prof. Yanaki Stoilov stated: “Time is often the best judge. 35 years are enough to assess how and to what extent the Constitution operates, as well as the results of its operation. Time refutes its critics, because it has proven to be durable and to a large extent real.“.
He commented that our basic law achieves a balance between abstraction and specificity of the regulatory framework. “On the basis of the Constitution, a number of institutions were built, which are elements of the democratic state. It turned out to be suitable for the integration of Bulgaria into European institutions and provides a mechanism for its own protection“, said Prof. Stoilov. According to him, the recognition and respect for the principle of popular sovereignty is a mandatory condition for modern democracy – this is the sacred, legitimizing principle of the secular state. He cited the Constitution, which states that the people exercise power directly and through the bodies provided for in it – citizens participate in state power directly and indirectly. “From this point of view, it is doubtful that Bulgaria is a full-fledged democracy, because in recent decades Bulgarian citizens have not been allowed to directly decide a single issue relating to foreign policy choices.“, added the constitutional judge.
The President of the Constitutional Tribunal “Podkrepa“ Dimitar Manolov stated: “The Constitution reflects the aspiration of its creators for a democratic, legal and social state. Labor rights are the basis of the dignified existence of a nation and this fundamental law creates an obligation for the state to introduce rules that are to be observed by those who exploit workers and to guarantee people's rights, including the right to work.“. According to him, the fundamental law also sets out the conditions for free choice of profession, protection of vulnerable groups, safe working conditions, minimum wage, which guarantees the survival of working people, minimum pension, social assistance, maternity, health care.
He thanked the BSP for introducing into the Criminal Code a norm for criminal prosecution of obstruction of trade union association, guaranteed by the country's fundamental law. According to him, there is a closeness between the unions and the left parties, which is also indicative of the common views on private pension funds.
The Director of the Institute of Economics and International Relations Lyubomir Kyuchukov emphasized that the role and spirit of the Constitution are invariably reflected in the spirit of international relations. According to him, in summary, the context of contemporary international realities is unfortunately - the devaluation of values and the disempowerment of law. “Values have been turned into a tool serving politics. It is not a question of cracks in the facade, but of undermining the foundation of the building. Values, translated into legal norms, are the supporting structure of a system of public relations, without which it cannot exist.“, he also said. According to him, unfortunately, the concept of peace and the vision of shared security have also disappeared from the international lexicon. He mentioned that we are also witnessing the dehumanization of humanity - not only the replacement of humans by artificial intelligence, but also from an ideological point of view. According to him, it is a question of replacing the goal of progress - the center of development is not humans, but profit.
According to him, in these years of globalization, the 1991 Constitution has played its role and has protected our country from “breaking into the rocks“. Among the official guests were the President of the Republic of Bulgaria (2002-2012) Georgi Parvanov, the President of the Constitutional Court Pavlina Panova, the Judge of the Constitutional Court Sasho Penov and the Acting President of the Supreme Administrative Court Lyubomir Gaidov.
The event was also attended by deputies from the Seventh Grand National Assembly – Georgi Pirinski (President of the 40th National Assembly), Alexander Tomov, Petar Beron, Nina Gerinska and Ognyan Pishchikov.
Among those present were also Prof. Emilia Drumeva, Prof. Snezhana Nacheva, Assoc. Prof. Natalia Kiselova (President of the 51st National Assembly), Rositsa Mateva, Rumyana Siderova, MEPs from the left Christian Vigenin and Tsvetelina Penkova, as well as representatives of left-wing parties and movements - Tatyana Doncheva, Alexander Paunov, Tsvetan Minyovski, Toma Tomov, Vanya Grigorova and others, as well as the director of the "Friedrich Ebrett" Foundation - Bulgaria Jacques Paparo.