The attempt to put the parliament in a position to convene an unconstitutional referendum is an act that - consciously or not - aims to suspend the Bulgarian Constitution and take the country back decades, erasing the achievements in its social and legal progress after 1989. This was written in their appeal by dozens of lecturers from the law faculties of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski“, New Bulgarian University, Plovdiv University “Paisiy Hilendarski“ and Veliko Tarnovo University “St. sv. Cyril and Methodius“, writes BTA.
The position was published on their Facebook profiles, and among those who shared it were Senior Assistant Professor Dr. Borislav Ganchev from the Faculty of Law of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski“ and former Deputy Minister of Justice, his colleagues from Sofia University Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boryana Museva, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vasil Pandov, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hristo Hristev. As of this hour, 40 names of professors, associate professors, doctors, chief assistants and assistants from the educational institutions are listed under the document.
The lawyers express "their deep concern" and raise the alarm about the danger of the attempt to incite the National Assembly to convene a national referendum in contradiction with the Constitution and in violation of the commitments undertaken with the accession of our country to the European Union.
The signatories of the appeal recall a decision of the Constitutional Court on the convening of such a referendum. "In the presence of Decision No. 3 of 8.02.2024 under case No. 13/2023 of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria, the convening of such a referendum would constitute a violation of the Constitution. "It is legally unfounded for the President of the Republic to propose to the Bulgarian Parliament to disregard the country's constitutional framework and its obligations as a member of the European Union," the lawyers point out.
Such an act undermines the trust between Bulgaria and its partners in the European Union, undermines its international authority and, above all, calls into question the constitutional foundations of the Bulgarian democratic state and the principle of the rule of law - fundamental to the Bulgarian legal order, the lawyers write in their appeal.
Democracy is a complete model of organization of society, public authority and law. This model guarantees governance based on the will and rights of citizens, expressed and protected in the forms established by the Constitution, the signatories of the document add.
The authors of the appeal call on the professional community of Bulgarian lawyers to take a firm position in defense of the rule of law and the development of Bulgaria as a democratic European state, in accordance with the Constitution and the country's international commitments.
They also appeal to the National Assembly not to violate the Constitution and not to question Bulgaria's place in the European Union.
We appeal to Bulgarian citizens with a call for conscious and responsible participation in one of the most fateful moments in our modern history and through our active position to prevent our country from being set back in its development as a free, legal and democratic European state, the appeal of lawyers from four universities reads.
On Friday, May 9, the head of state Rumen Radev stated in an address to the people and the National Assembly that he is submitting a proposal to the parliament to hold a national referendum on the euro.