A perfect storm: the extraordinary constitutional attack against the Istanbul Convention in Bulgaria
Article
Vassileva, R. 2022. A perfect storm: the extraordinary constitutional attack against the Istanbul Convention in Bulgaria. Osteuropa Recht. 68 (1), pp. 78-96. https://doi.org/10.5771/0030-6444-2022-1-78
Type | Article |
---|---|
Title | A perfect storm: the extraordinary constitutional attack against the Istanbul Convention in Bulgaria |
Authors | Vassileva, R. |
Abstract | On 27 July 2018, Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court delivered a judgment declaring the Istanbul Convention ‘incompliant’ with the country’s Constitution. This article examines the origin and nature of the extraordinary constitutional attack against this convention in Bulgaria which can be described as a ‘perfect storm’ – diverse, unrelated factors concurred and conditioned an event with long-lasting repercussions that are difficult to overcome. It first analyses the political context which permitted a misinformation campaign and motivated Boyko Borissov’s GERB party to seek a constitutional review of the document. Then, it explains why the method of appointing judges in Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court and the particularities of its jurisdiction make this institution susceptible to political influences. After critically evaluating the questionable legal reasoning in the actual decision, the article explores its consequences. Among them, the most notable damage concerns the current legal impossibility to ratify the Istanbul Convention in Bulgaria. At this stage, the country can only count on piecemeal legislative solutions to introduce to Bulgarian legislation the spirit of relevant provisions of the convention that have not been contested. |
Sustainable Development Goals | 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions |
Middlesex University Theme | Sustainability |
Publisher | Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft |
Journal | Osteuropa Recht |
ISSN | 0030-6444 |
Electronic | 2366-6730 |
Publication dates | |
11 Sep 2022 | |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 07 Mar 2022 |
Accepted | 28 Feb 2021 |
Output status | Published |
Accepted author manuscript | |
Copyright Statement | This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article first published by Nomos in Osteuropa Recht, the final published version is available at: http://doi.org/10.5771/0030-6444-2022-1-78 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.5771/0030-6444-2022-1-78 |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/89v30
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