President Has Signed Decree Removing Plamen Tonchev as National Security Agency Head, Says PM

Dimitrina Solakova, Nikoleta Vassileva

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov during Question Time in Parliament, Sofia, June 6, 2025 (BTA Photo/Milena Stoykova)

Sofia,

06.06.2025 10:10

(BTA)

President Rumen Radev has signed a decree dismissing Plamen Tonchev as chairman of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said during Friday's Question Time in Parliament. He was replying to a question by Atanas Atanasov MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria about the appointment of Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior and Chairman of the State Agency for National Security after the current ones' dismissal.

At the end of May, the National Assembly elected Plamen Tonchev as Chairman of the Committee for Disclosing the Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and intelligence Services of the Bulgarian National Army, commonly known as the secret police files committee. He was elected with 120 votes in favour, 78 against, and five abstentions.

Atanasov pointed out that the political neutrality of the internal security and public order bodies is very important. "According to the SANS Act, the principle of political neutrality of the authorities has been introduced; in this regard, for more than a year the Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior has been absent, someone has been acting as a deputy," Atanasov noted. He pointed out that a meeting of the parliamentary committee for control of security services was attended by a SANS Deputy Chairman.

The Prime Minister noted that Bulgaria's security services should work for the public, and not for political parties and organisations. To guarantee political impartiality, the principle of shared responsibility in the appointment of their heads has been introduced, Zhelyazkov explained, adding that the appointment is made by the Council of Ministers and the President. The procedure takes place with a proposal from the Council of Ministers to the President and a decree from the President, but before that there must be coordination, the Prime Minister specified.

"Thus far, we have had no coordination for the Secretary General of the Interior Ministry," Zhelyazkov said, adding that the procedure of coordination for the head of SANS will also be underway, as the President has issued a decree for Tonchev's dismissal.

Plamen Tonchev took over as SANS Chairman in May 2021, when the term in office of the previous head of the agency, Dimitar Georgiev, were terminated early. The Council of Ministers adopted a decision proposing President Rumen Radev to reappoint Tonchev to the same post ahead of the end of his term in office, April 2023.

/DS/