Opposition seeks court ruling on Bulgaria joining Trump-initiated Board of Peace

Bulgaria’s opposition parties have asked the Constitutional Court to rule on the government’s decision to join the Board of Peace, an international body initiated by US President Donald Trump. Yesterday, outgoing prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov signed the accession agreement in Davos, but it must still be ratified by parliament.

• Bulgaria joins Trump’s Board of Peace despite EU boycott

The centre-right alliance Democratic Bulgaria said the court should assess whether the document signed by the government complies with the Bulgarian constitution. Speaking in parliament, MPs Nadezhda Yordanova and Bozhidar Bozhanov said that the Council of Ministers plans to submit the agreement for ratification as early as next week. However, they argued that such a step should not be taken without a prior constitutional review.

'Until yesterday, Rosen Zhelyazkov was an outgoing prime minister who had no power. But since yesterday, he has become an outgoing prime minister who has pushed Bulgaria to the periphery of Europe, turned it into a Trojan horse and turned his back on our European partners, including the UK, France and Germany,” said Yordan Ivanov, MP for Democratic Bulgaria.

Radostin Vassilev, leader of the MECH party, said that an outgoing prime minister had no mandate to represent Bulgaria at international forums. He added that the outgoing president had “done the right thing” by not attending.

Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of the nationalist Vazrazhdane party, said the outgoing cabinet lacked the moral and legal authority to make decisions that would have long-term consequences for the country.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova
Posted in English by E. Radkova