The Parliament issued its final approval of the new Judicial Authority draft law on Wednesday, disregarding the observations in a report released by the top authority of the State Council.
The Parliament's approval came in a general session when MPs were suddenly asked to vote on the draft law without any discussion of the observations mentioned in the report.
The new draft law reportedly stipulates that the President would appoint the heads of the judicial authorities, choosing from among the three vice-chairmen of each judicial body, nominated by the supreme council of that body from among the seven oldest deputies.
Judges called the law a violation of the independence of the judiciary and an unnecessary change in stable norms and traditions — choosing the head of each body according to the rule of seniority, rather than what is stipulated in the amendments introduced to the law.
In a bid to justify their rejection of the draft law, the State Council recently sent the Parliament a report supported by legal evidence clarifying their stance, following a notice from the Parliament for the council's opinion on the draft law, pursuant to the text of Article 185 of the Constitution, which stipulates that judicial bodies be consulted in the draft laws governing its affairs.
