site.btaUPDATED Government Coalition MPs Move to Strip President of Powers Over Appointment of Heads of Security, Intelligence, Technical Operations Agencies

MPs of GERB-UDF, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and There Is Such a People (TISP) have submitted draft amendments to three laws, stripping the President of the power to appoint the heads of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), the State Intelligence Agency (SIA) and the State Agency Technical Operations (SATO). 

Under the SANS Act, the SIA Act and the Special Surveillance Means Act, the heads of Bulgaria's three security agencies are appointed by presidential decree on the Council of Ministers' proposal. The government coalition MPs propose that the heads of SANS, SIA and SATO should be nominated by the Council of Ministers as now and appointed by a National Assembly resolution instead of by presidential decree.

The appointment of the SATO Chair is regulated by the Special Surveillance Means Act.

The MPs who submitted the proposals are TISP's Alexander Rashkov and Stanislav Balabanov, BSP's Dragomir Stoynev, Maya Dimitrova and Ilian Iontchev, and GERB-UDF's Manoil Manev and Hristo Terziyski.

Neither the Constitution nor the three laws provide mechanisms to resolve potential conflicts between the President and the government in exercising this shared competence, the reasons to the bills say. There have been numerous cases when the Council of Ministers proposes a candidate for a state agency leadership post, but the President refuses to issue a decree for the appointment. In such cases, the agency is temporarily led by an acting head until a permanent appointment is made, sometimes for an extended period.

The MPs argue that this impacts the efficiency of the agencies' operations amid instability in international relations and ongoing conflicts.

The proposed changes do not upset the balance between Parliament, the presidency and the government, as the parliamentary system places Parliament at the centre of this balance, according to the MPs. The changes would not affect the President's constitutional powers in defence and national security matters.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Rumen Radev refused to decree the appointment of Denyo Denev as SANS chairperson. Denev, who is now acting SANS Chair, was nominated for the office in early September, when the government asked Radev to issue a decree on his appointment.