Constitutional Court

On October 27, 2024, Bulgarians will head to the polls for early parliamentary elections. These are the seventh such elections in the last three years and the second to take place in 2024, following the June 9 vote, which coincided with the European Parliament elections.

Constitutional Court head Kadir Özkaya said on Oct. 19 that the top court will now hold meetings with the Court of Appeals on cases that may significantly impact legal precedents.

The rate of the Constitutional Court's violation decisions in individual applications is around 3 percent, Özkaya told journalists during a press gathering in Ankara on Oct. 19.

Stefan Petrov, representing the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) prosecutors, has proposed Borislav Sarafov as the new candidate for the prosecutor general of Bulgaria. He spoke on behalf of three members, the minimum number required by law, which also includes Svetlana Boshnakova and Plamen Naydenov.

A Taiwanese court decided on Sept. 20 to retain capital punishment, but ruled its application should be "limited to special and exceptional circumstances."

Taiwan has carried out 35 executions since a moratorium on capital punishment was lifted in 2010, with the latest, that of a 53-year-old man convicted for setting a fire that killed his family, occurring in April 2020.

A local court has postponed the trial of 28 public officials linked to the 2014 mining disaster in the western city of Manisa's Soma district that claimed the lives of 301 workers.

During the second hearing on Sept. 12, defendant lawyers requested a new expert report, while the families of the victims and their legal representatives urged the case's transfer to a heavy penal court.

Türkiye's top court has agreed to hear a case challenging a controversial law regulating the handling of stray dogs, following a petition by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

The CHP filed the application on Aug. 15, seeking to annul 16 of the 17 articles of the new law, which it argues violates constitutional protections for animal rights and the environment.

The right-wing party "Revival" (Vazrazhdane) has once again failed in its attempt to initiate a referendum aimed at preserving the Bulgarian lev. The proposal for a national poll asking, "Do you agree that the Bulgarian lev should be the only official currency in Bulgaria until 2043?" was rejected.

Silvia Petkova, a lawyer, has criticized recent changes to the Preschool and School Education Act concerning non-traditional sexual orientation, describing them as a response to imaginary issues, in an interview with BNR. Petkova highlighted a problem in the lawmaking process where MPs are addressing what she sees as non-existent problems.

A special parliamentary session to address the status of jailed former deputy Can Atalay ended in chaos on Aug. 16, with a brawl breaking out that left several lawmakers injured.

The session, held despite parliament being in recess, was convened after the Constitutional Court declared that the annulment of Atalay's parliamentary status was invalid.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has appealed to the Constitutional Court for the annulment of a law regarding the handling of stray dogs.

"We have submitted our 183-page appeal to the high court after meticulous work with all the relevant parties, including civil society," CHP deputy leader Gökhan Günaydın said on Aug. 15 after he submitted the appeal.