GERB Cannot Challenge Election Results at Bulgaria's Constitutional Court - Expert

According to Yavor Notev, legal expert and member of nationalist party Ataka, center-right party GERB is not authorized to directly petition Bulgaria's Constitutional Court to cancel the results of the May 12 elections. Photo by BGNES

Yavor Notev, legal expert and member of nationalist party Ataka, has argued that center-right party GERB is not authorized to directly petition Bulgaria's Constitutional Court to cancel the results of the May 12 elections.

In a Thursday interview for private TV station bTV, Notev, who won a seat in Bulgaria's next Parliament at the elections, reminded that the entities authorized to petition the Constitutional Court were the President, the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Court of Cassation (VKS), the Supreme Administrative Court (VAS), and the Chief Prosecutor.

Notev, as cited by Sega daily, suggested that center-right party GERB had won enough seats in the next Parliament to initiate a petition for referring the matter to the Constitutional Court but argued that the procedure would take too much time.

He added that the President had already suggested that holding new elections was not a good option.

"What is more, life does not stop on the day of reflection. The media merely provided coverage to common crime news on the day of reflection," Notev said, commenting on the plans of GERB leader Boyko Borisov to challenge the election results due to the breach of electoral silence in connection with the specialized operation at a Kostinbrod-based printing house which uncovered 350 000 illegally printed ballots.

"If Borisov really confirms his plans, he has two options left – the Supreme Administrative Court or the Supreme Court of Cassation - which can forward the petition to the Constitutional Court," Notev explained.

Earlier on Thursday, Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov declared that he had no intentions of addressing the Constitutional Court.

Meanwhile, the Central Electoral Commission made clear Thursday that it was not going to impose any penalties for breach of electoral silence on the day before the May 12 parliamentary elections.

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