Bulgarian Right-Wingers Still Eager to Endorse Top Court Nominee

Bulgaria's right-wing Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) party is still willing to nominate a constitutional judge, UDF member Boris Markov has declared.

Markov's statement comes on the aftermath of the fiasco involving the party's bid to nominate former President Petar Stoyanov (1997-2001) for constitutional judge.

Stoyanov expectedly rejected the nomination on Sunday, deepening both the constitutional crisis in the country and the division within UDF.

"There has to be – and there will be – a respectable nomination made by UDF," Markov told reporters on Sunday.

Markov claimed that there was no internal division within UDF. He further stated that the parliamentary Blue Coalition "sabotaged" the nomination of Stoyanov.

A seat in the Constitutional Court remained empty on November 15, when Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev walked out just as controversial judge Veneta Markovska was about to swear in.

Markovska's name had become implicated in allegations of trade in influence, which she was unable to dispel, but nevertheless chose not to resign, after being elected to the Constitutional Court by Parliament.

On Monday Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov unexpectedly invited UDF to nominate a replacement for Markovska on grounds the formation was the oldest right-wing party in Bulgaria and is a member of the European People's Party, EPP, similarly to his ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB.

The move was interpreted as an attempt from the PM to attract the allegiance of the Union and create further divisions in the feeble Blue Coalition between the UDF and DSB.

On Friday, Members of the Parliament from UDF declared opposition to any party nomination for constitutional judge.

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