site.btaUPDATED President Radev: Government Stability Depends Not Only on Parliamentary Support, but on Situation Outside Parliament

The stability of a government depends not only on parliamentary support, but also on the situation outside Parliament, President Rumen Radev told reporters on Wednesday after attending the flag-raising ceremony in Sofia.

Radev said that Bulgarians are becoming poorer, increasingly feel a lack of justice, and resentment is growing.

“When we talk about votes, we must realize that the parties have replaced the votes of their constituents and created this ruling coalition. It serves a political force that is increasingly taking control, not only of the mandate holder, but also of the entire government,” Rumen Radev commented.

Parliament is debating a draft decision on a no-confidence motion in the Council of Ministers with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov in connection with “the government's failure in the areas of internal security and justice, leading to a deepening of the problem of state capture.”

When asked which political force he was referring to, Radev said that it was obvious to all Bulgarians and that it was MRF-New Beginning.

Regarding the words of the leader of MRF-New Beginning Delian Peevski, that the President is a false savior, Radev said that he has no intention of responding to unfounded attacks. He went on to say that political leaders and parties do not know where and how people live. Radev questioned where and how the leader of this party lives.

When asked why Peevski is guarded by the National Service for Protection (NSP), Radev said that this question should be addressed to the Tripartite Commission, which acts and makes its decisions based on reports. The presidential institution has no involvement there, Radev stressed. “You can contact the NSP, the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, the State Agency for National Security (SANS) Chair, they are members of this commission and they decide,” the President said.

Asked to comment on the words of GERB leader Borissov that the President aims to terminate the contract with Rheinmetall because of the signal he will send to Vazovski Mashinostroitelni Zavodi [Vazov Machine-Building Plants] (VMS-Sopot), Rumen Radev said: “Borissov should first be satisfied and grateful that I brought [Rheinmetall CEO Armin] Papperger to Bulgaria and convinced him to invest here,” he argued, adding that Bulgaria offers excellent investment opportunities. “How this investment will be realized and for what purpose is entirely the responsibility of the executive branch,” Radev said. He added that he has no intention of disrupting anything, but when the presidential institution receives a signal of abuse and irregularities, he is obliged to react.

On Monday, the President’s press service said that he plans to alert the competent authorities about alleged violations and abuse at the VMZ ordnance plant in Sopot, Bulgaria's largest state-owned defence factory. Radev met with former employees of the plant and with journalist Stanislav Tsanov. The discussion focused on journalistic investigations allegedly revealing numerous violations and abuses at the plant. Based on the information, the President's administration will submit reports to the competent authorities, according to the press secretariat.