SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's parliament appointed a new justice minister on Friday, easing political turmoil amid tensions within the ruling coalition over judicial reforms.
Some 126 deputies in the 240-strong parliament supported Ekaterina Zaharieva for the post, helping stabilise Prime Minister Boiko Borisov's government.
Cracks appeared in the coalition after parliament watered down changes in the constitution aimed at overhauling a corruption-riddled judiciary, prompting the justice minister to resign.
Deputies have voted to divide the judicial system's key ruling body into two separate colleges for judges and prosecutors. But critics say the way the members will be elected will not ensure judges' independence or make prosecutors more accountable.
Bulgaria, the European Union's poorest member, has been repeatedly criticised by Brussels for failing to impose strict rule of law or put corrupt senior officials behind bars, a failure that also scares away foreign investors.
Zaharieva said she would not make "empty promises" after 25 years of half-hearted reforms, but pledged to make legal changes aimed at ending the climate of impunity.
The new justice minister has been a senior official at the president's office and a minister in two interim governments since 2013.