Constitutional Court criticizes Kiselova over referendum

Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court ruled that parliamentary speaker Natalia Kiselova improperly rejected President Rumen Radev’s referendum proposal on euro adoption, according to constitutional law professor Plamen Kirov. The former judge told Bulgarian National Radio that speakers cannot substitute themselves for the collective parliamentary body when deciding matters within legislative competence.

Kirov explained that proper procedure requires distributing the proposal to committees for report preparation and plenary debate, though lawmakers cannot be compelled to approve the referendum itself. He noted insufficient time remains for the mandatory 45-day campaign period, with any parliamentary decision pushing implementation beyond the new year.

The professor identified flaws in Bulgaria’s direct democracy model, arguing that the constitution fails to mandate referendums on any specific issues. He predicted meaningful national votes would never occur because majorities refuse to cede authority on major political questions to citizens, citing the absence of referendums on European Union and NATO membership.