site.btaUPDATED President Radev Describes Political Situation in Bulgaria as Complex

At the start of consultations with Vazrazhdane on Tuesday morning, President Rumen Radev said that the socio-economic and political situation in the country is complex. On Monday, the head of State held talks with representatives of the two largest political forces in Parliament – GERB-UDF and Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, following the government’s resignation.

Addressing the representatives of Vazrazhdane, Radev said: "When it comes to you in particular, there is no need for special introductions or explanations about how complex the socio-economic and political situation in the country is. You see it every day, both on the streets and in Parliament." The President also asked the MPs to share their views on whether there is still life in the 51st National Assembly in the form of a new governing configuration, and whether they would work towards such a configuration, or whether they would rather have snap parliamentary elections.

The President also sought their opinion whether the Election Code needs to be amended in order to “increase transparency, fairness, and overall trust in the electoral process.” He noted the conclusions of the Constitutional Court on a number of organisational and procedural problems that arose during the last parliamentary elections.

Radev asked the Vazrazhdane representatives whether they see any issues with the extension of the 2025 State Budget Act in light of the new financial and economic situation expected at the start of next year.

In response to Vazrazhdane’s request to convene a Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) on Bulgaria’s accession to the euro area, Radev said that doing so would effectively legitimise and resurrect a political authority “whose political death was sealed by the protests.” He noted that the outcome of such a council would be clear and would be a waste of time. According to the President, the presidency is not the place for parties to restate political positions or turn the event into a platform for political campaigning.

“The consultations are about whether this Parliament has a life or not, whether we go to elections, and how we organise those elections,” Radev said. He noted issues with the fairness and transparency of elections, which affect every political party, and added that Vazrazhdane, like other parties, seeks to use consultations as a platform for political campaigning. 

When asked whether he supports keeping the Bulgarian lev or adopting the euro, President Radev said he had already expressed his view: that Bulgarians should be consulted. He recalled that, as President, he had proposed holding a referendum on the euro's adoption. Radev noted that referendums held by EU Member States on joining the euro area are rare, and in most cases, previous EU accession referendums were used as a pretext for joining the currency union.