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| - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov on Friday attempted to end weeks of protests against corruption by proposing a new constitution, an idea rejected immediately by demonstrators and members of his own governing coalition. The mostly young protesters, who have been in the streets for the last five weeks, have been demanding the resignation of Borisov's conservative cabinet and of chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev, accusing them of being beholden to behind-the-scenes oligarchs. "The political parties of the system can no longer stifle the great desire for change in Bulgaria," Borisov in an appeal to the nation broadcast on radio and television. "I respect the revolt of the young people and everything is in their hands." Changing the constitution would make it possible, according to Borisov, to limit in particular the power of the prosecution which opponents see as prejudiced and in the exclusive service of part of the oligarchy. Borisov, who has held power for almost 10 years, currently leads a coalition of conservatives and nationalists who immediately rejected the prime minister's proposal. They say they are in favour of simple constitutional amendments to make voting compulsory, to restore military service and to ban same-sex unions. The main organisers of the demonstrations said in a statement to the media on Friday that parliament, which was "dominated by oligarchic power", was preparing to propose a draft constitution "allowing the mafia to create its own fundamental law and Boiko Borisov to buy time to stay in power" until next year's election. They said they intend to continue their demonstrations until Borisov resigns. Bulgaria has changed its constitution four times so far. The first Tarnovo Constitution came into being in 1879 at the end of Ottoman rule. It was changed in 1947 and 1971 under the communist regime and, most recently, for the transition to a market economy in 1991. Parliament would need to initiate the complex and lengthy process of rewriting the text of the constitution. This proposal would need a two-thirds approval in parliament, which means Borisov needs the support not just of his own coalition but also of the opposition socialists, who have not yet responded to the idea. If parliament does decide to back the prime minister, the current assembly would be dissolved and elections held to create a "constituent" assembly which would then be responsible for drafting and adopting the new constitution, a process that could take at least a year. Once a new constitution is adopted, the constituent assembly would in turn be dissolved and legislative elections would make it possible to form a new government. vs/bg/bsp/txw
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