site.btaInterior Minister Slams President for "Talking Like Opposition Leader"

Interior Minister Daniel Mitov Monday criticized President Rumen Radev for "talking like an opposition leader". " He regularly abandons his constitutional role. He should choose whether he wants to be a President or a party leader, and if he wants to be a party leader, he should resign and go to elections. He adorns himself with the title of President and then speaks like an opposition leader," Mitov said on bTV. 

The Minister's remarks came as he was asked to comment what President Radev recently said about a nomination for head of the State Agency for National Security. His exact words were, "At the moment, politicians sanctioned for corruption by our strategic partners are carrying out a brutal purge at SANS and turning the agency into their own bludgeon. They are doing this through a nomination for which they want me to issue a decree. Let me be clear - it will not happen.”

It was not clear who is the nominee that Radev was referring to. Currently, SANS has an acting chair, Denyo Denev, after the last full chair, Plamen Tonchev, was nominated to head the committee on communist-era secret police files. As for the "politicians sanctioned for corruption" remark, it was likely a reference to Delyan Peevski, the MRF - New Beginning leader who was sanctioned for corruption by the US in 2021 and by the UK in 2023. His lawyers argue that there is no evidence of any wrongdoing by their client.

Mitov pointed out that it is wrong for the President to "halt key nominations". "It is not his job," he said.

Mitov said he has heard nothing of a purge at SANS or a planned layoff of 400 officers there, which was claimed in a Facebook post by Ivaylo Mirchev, an MP of the opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria coalition. "That sounds absurd," said the Minister.

He went on to blast the President for claiming credit for bringing to Bulgaria German company Rheinmetall, which he described as "an investor that the government can only dream of". Mitov said, "The President knows very well that if the government is not doing its job, he cannot bring any investors - and it is not his job to bring investors".