Политика

Three-member Chamber of the Pazardjik District Court, chaired by Judge P. Yaneva gave a move on September 1 of the two cases for the decisions of the Municipal Council - Velingrad suspended by the Regional Government. It is about the two decisions voted on August 17: the termination of the powers of Stoyan Dulev as interim mayor of the municipality and the election of Ivan Lebanov to the same post. Two days later, they were stopped by order of the deputy governor Yumer Hamza, who is currently serving as regional governor because of the illness of the incumbent Ivan Dimitrov.
The interest in the case was great: in the hall came most of the 17 councillors from different parties who supported the suspended decisions. Interim Mayor Stoyan Dulev was absent, Deputy Mayor Recep Hodzhov was present.
In front of the court by the district government appeared the lawyer G. Katsarova, and lawyer of the Municipal Council - Velingrad is Nikolay Bozhilov. The Legal Counsel of the Municipality of Velingrad V. Despotsky submitted a request from Stoyan Dulev to be constituted as an interested party in the case. The request was granted and Mr. Dulev will be called for the next meeting. The judges asked the Regional Government for evidence for the period during which mer Hamza was acting as Regional Governor. Ms. Katsarova announced that they do not currently have such evidence and will present them later. Attorney Bijolov asked for the decision of the Municipal Election Commission - Velingrad to be presented to the court because the question whether the powers of Mr. Fidel Beev as mayor have been terminated is also relevant to the current litigation. Because of all these procedural issues, the court postponed the case and set a new date - September 13. The case on the second decision on the election of Ivan Lebanov was also postponed. He was constituted as an interested party, but the same was denied to Stoyan Dulev.
After the first meeting, lawyer Bozhilov announced that he would defend the thesis that regarding Mr. Beev's powers as mayor there is still a pending litigation. The case resembled the one with Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofiyanski, who by his order determined which of his deputies would perform the mayoral functions. In Velingrad this has not been done and in this situation, according to the lawyer, the Municipal Council is entitled to invoke Art. 21 of the LMSMA and to make decisions on important issues of local importance. A in art. 21 may, by a simple majority, elect and dismiss an interim mayor of the municipality. Mr. Bozhilov expressed satisfaction that the case is scheduled for September 13 and stated: "We are convinced that the number 13 will be fatal for the district government."
Elena Baeva