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Southeast Europe
February 1, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 16
Bulgaria’s president says early parliamentary election inevitable
Denitsa Koseva in Sofia
Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said on January 28 that an early general election seems inevitable as democracy in the country “has been losing momentum”.
Speaking to journalists to mark his assessment
of the first two years after taking office, Radev indicated that he would back a new political party, partially confirming speculations that have started several months ago that the president could launch his own political project.
Should Radev take this step, he would likely gain the support of many Bulgarians disappointed with the current government, as he is increasingly seen as the new “saviour of the nation”.
The current government formed by Boyko Borissov's Gerb party and the far-right United Patriots is increasingly divided by internal tensions, and a poor showing in the May European Parliament elections is seen as likely to lead to
a snap election later in the year.
Radev said that an early election is “no longer a matter of if but when”, but also called for
a revision of electoral legislation in order to guarantee fair and transparent elections.
Several months earlier Radev objected to calls by the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which backed his candidacy for president, for early elec- tions, saying that it was not an option at the time, and urging the government to start doing its job.
Trust in Bulgaria’s parliament was at a critically low level of around 8%, according to latest polls.
Rumen Radev is seen as the new "saviour" of the Bulgarian nation.
Moreover, Bulgarians have lost trust in the prosecution and all state institutions except the presidency.
Radev also pointed out that important laws were be- ing changed through regulation, thus avoiding public discussion and impact assessment. Being a con- stant critic of Borissov's government, Radev has so far vetoed 12 laws, expressing concerns about their constitutionality or about possible room for corrup- tion and breach of human rights. The parliament has overturned all but one of his vetoes so far.
“Legality is the alternative of arbitrariness and lobbyism. Validation of law is the first thing we need to do. To break the corruption, to gain
back freedom of speech, because you see what happens to the critics of those in power; to return to citizens the feeling of security and justice. And all that begins with uncompromised application of law,” Radev said during the press conference which was broadcast live on Facebook.
Asked whether he would back a new political project, he said: “Yes, if it stands up for these values and works for Bulgaria’s modernisation.”
Radev also said that he would back a presidential republic if the next parliament forms a coalition that lacks principles purely to take power, saying that this would be “the last handing out the
cards in the current political system”. However, he insisted that people should stop hoping for a miracle and start working to improve their lives.
Meanwhile, Radev also announced the establish- ment of a council for strategic development as