site.btaPresident: Anti-Mafia Consensus Exists in Society, First Step to Its Realization Is Fair Elections

An anti-mafia consensus exists in Bulgarian society and the first step towards turning it into reality is holding fair elections, President Rumen Radev told journalists on Wednesday during events marking the 148th anniversary of the liberation of the town of Belovo and the Belovo region from Ottoman rule, which also coincides with the municipality’s official holiday.

According to the head of State, the major task facing the Bulgarian Parliament is to restore public trust in the electoral process.

He said that the experience from the most recent elections clearly shows that this requires machine voting, with machine counting of results, but also manual counting of the control receipts, so that there is genuine trust.

He added that Parliament needs sufficient technical time to implement such electoral changes. "Society expects them, and I hope Parliament will respond to these expectations," the President noted.

Asked whether his remarks meant that the upcoming early elections might not take place on March 29, Radev said this also depends on the procedure related to choosing a caretaker prime minister and appointing a caretaker cabinet.

"With all these people, interviews have to be conducted, the composition of the caretaker cabinet has to be clarified, and let us not forget that the Constitution also provides for consultations with political parties on the composition of that cabinet," Radev said. He declined to say whether he had already settled on a specific name, adding that the limited options he has to choose a caretaker prime minister from could lead to a blockage.

"I cannot hold such talks at the moment. Let us first complete the [government-forming] mandate procedures. Imagine that some miracle happens with the third mandate and we end up with a regular government formed within Parliament," the President added.

Radev said he would soon inform the media and the public when and to whom he would hand the final mandate, again stressing that electoral reform is currently the top priority.

"If you are asking about a party [a future party associated with Radev] – after so much talk, it seems there is one, and I can say that this is the party of the anti-mafia consensus, which insists on fair elections. Such a party unites all democrats – left and right – regardless of where they belong or whether they are politically active at all, because we all need fair elections and democratic, free development," the President said.