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© Velko Angelov
“Things are changing. We will see what we do. And this coronavirus …”
Therefore, a GERB representative replied “Dnevnik” to the question of what the ruling party is actually doing about Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s idea of convening a Grand National Assembly for a new constitution. With him, amid growing protests over the summer, he announced that he would restart the country. Almost three months later, the development of the idea confirmed the comments with which it was received that this is a scenario to buy time for GERB to remain in power at least until the ordinary parliamentary elections of 2021.
According to the representatives of the ruling parties, the proposal to convene a Grand National Assembly will not be voted on at the first possible moment after November 2. And Borisov’s promise was to resign as soon as that decision was made. But its approval is also doomed to failure, since without the support of the BSP and MRF, the necessary 160 votes will not be collected. The Prime Minister has not recently commented on how he will act in this situation and in the meantime new ways have been invented to simulate that the project is actually being worked on.
What will happen to the GERB Constitution?
The representatives of the ruling coalition, with whom Dnevnik is speaking, believe that there can be no vote on a decision for the Grand National Assembly in the minimum period, that is. in the week of November 2 to 6, for two reasons. One is that no public debate has taken place on the draft new constitution, and the other is that the Venice Commission is awaiting an opinion on some of the proposals, which should be optimistically ready around November 15 after online meetings with ruling parties.
What exactly will be done after is unknown.
The maximum term to vote on the decision to convene the Grand National Assembly is five months after its presentation, that is. until February 2, which is after the legal deadline to schedule regular parliamentary elections – they must be at the end of March, and the president must schedule them two months before, that is. at the end of January. That is why analysts and opposition parties continue to comment on the idea of a new constitution as a plan to keep the GERB in power until the end, despite the protests.
To “hit the ball” in parliament was created a temporary committee with a working deadline until December 2, in which discussions on the project will be held. The opposition refused to join, and President Rumen Radev argued in the Constitutional Court that a committee in the regular parliament could discuss the bill, and agreed to rule on it. According to deputies of the ruling parties, until the Constitutional Court resolves the case, the commission will not be able to function.
Others comment that it is failure and the formation of a council of expert lawyers, as some did not want to participate and others were adults and due to the coronavirus pandemic, they preferred to give written statements but not attend meetings with many people.
Will there be elections or a cabinet change before spring?
According to the deputies of GERB and United Patriots, the option of early parliamentary elections is not maintained, and the other, for a cabinet with another prime minister, was rejected in the summer and later was not included in the agenda.
The government has not met in any format for several weeks, and Borissov currently has a coronavirus and should be quarantined by November 9.
Before the GERB, the chair of the temporary commission for the constitution, Desislava Atanasova of the GERB, said on Wednesday (October 28) that there is no need for early elections, especially in this situation. He also said that, in his opinion, the decision to convene a Grand National Assembly should be made quickly, but did not specify deadlines.
Two days earlier, the newspaper “24 Chasa” reported that the GERB leader still had the option of completing the government mandate of the GERB government and the “United Patriots” with another prime minister, even with the expected failure of the decision of Veliko Narodno. meeting. Deputies from the ruling parties say such an option has not been discussed with them, but they do not rule out the possibility of testing opinions.
According to the October forecast by The Economist Intelligence Unit, there will be no snap elections in Bulgaria, the idea of a new constitution is doomed, and the political scene will be turbulent until 2025.
