site.btaBorislav Sarafov Is Legitimate Acting Prosecutor General, GERB Leader Borissov Says

GERB leader Boyko Borissov, responding to a question about the legality of Borislav Sarafov’s appointment, told reporters in the parliamentary lobby on Friday, that in his opinion Sarafov is the legitimate acting Prosecutor General. On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Cassation ruled that Sarafov cannot serve in that capacity.

"I cannot comment on judges and prosecutors. They are independent," Borissov said. He added that it is impossible for the current Parliament to gather the 160 votes needed to elect a new Supreme Judicial Council, which would then appoint a new Prosecutor General.

Regarding President Rumen Radev’s criticism of recent legislative changes concerning Bulgaria’s security services, the State Agency for National Security (SANS), State Intelligence Agency (SIA), and the State Agency Technical Operations (SATO), Borissov said that “when one man alone has been appointing the heads of these services for years through caretaker governments, that wasn’t considered a problem. Now that this function will be transferred to parliament, as we are a parliamentary republic, suddenly it is.”

According to Borissov, the issue regarding the powers of the head of State lies within the Constitution. He acknowledged Radev’s argument that he is elected by direct popular vote, but said that Bulgaria follows a German-style system rather than a French one. “If we were under the French model, the president would appoint the prime minister. In Germany, it’s the other way around, the Bundestag elects the president, and the chancellor holds executive power. We follow the German model,” Borissov said.

He added that Radev was elected fairly and has every legal right to be in office. However, Borissov accused the President of attempting to divide the nation over the past four years on every major issue, and of showing support only for parties like Vazrazhdane, Velichie, and Morality, Unity, Honor (MECh), which align with him.

He said that Radev had used his appointees to the Constitutional Court to ensure Velichie’s entry into parliament, enabling it to gather signatures for a no-confidence motion. “The three constitutional judges appointed solely by him were the initiators of everything that led to Velichie's entry into Parliament,” Borissov said. “The Constitutional Court is not an independent body in the way people imagine it. Despite the word “court” in its name, in other countries it functions more like an upper chamber of parliament,” he added. Desislava Atanasova [GERB nominee] was elected with the votes of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, as was their own candidate, Borislav Belazelkov, and both received overwhelming support, Borissov said.

On the amendments to the National Service for Protection (NSP) Act, which propose the abolition of the NSP's role in providing transport for the presidential administration, and the changes to laws governing SANS, SIA, and SATO, adopted the previous evening, Borissov denied that these measures were a targeted attack on the President. “If you throw stones from a glass house, it’s only natural someone might break yours,” he said. “Radev does this deliberately every day. On top of that, he equipped himself with the best armoured vehicles, full of tactical snipers, and all kinds of gear,” Borissov said. He asked what makes the presidential administration different from that of the Council of Ministers or the National Assembly, saying that both the Cabinet and Parliament publish calls for public tenders. “The President’s administration can do the same,” he said, adding: “A budget for new cars will be allocated, we will set aside funds for that next year.”

Borissov said that GERB is not worried about the possibility of President Radev forming a political party.