Short but Sweet: Bulgaria's Short-Lived 45th National Assembly as a First Step towards Reforms

Abstract

On 11 May 2021, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev issued a decree appointing a caretaker government, which means that the dissolution of the 45th National Assembly is imminent. This National Assembly, which was first convened on 15 April 2021, was rather shortlived,but it paved the way to fairer elections and much needed reforms in the justice system which civil society demands. If the next National Assembly, which will be elected in July 2021, takes the meaningful Bills which were proposed in the 45th Parliament on board, the slow process of dismantling the autocracy built by Boyko Borissov will start. Unsurprisingly, the defenders of the status quo are trying to resist these necessary changes, going as far as misleading the institutions of the EU and the Council of Europe.

Keywords: Constitutional Reform, Prosecutor's Office, Supreme Judicial Council, 45th National Assembly of Bulgaria, Rule of Law