The socio-economic and political situation in the country is tense, said President Rumen Radev at the beginning of the consultations with the parliamentary group of "Vazrazhdane". The head of state began his series of talks with the parliamentary represented forces before handing over a mandate to form a new government, after the government resigned last week. Consultations with GERB-SDS and PP-DB were held the previous day.
“You don't need any special explanations and conversations about how difficult the socio-economic and political situation in the country is – you see it every day on the streets and in parliament,” said Rumen Radev at the beginning of his meeting with representatives of "Vazrazhdane". The President called on them to present their views on whether there is any residual political life in the 51st National Assembly in the form of a new management configuration, as well as whether they would participate and work for such a formula or insist on early parliamentary elections.
The head of state also requested the position of "Vazrazhdane" on the topic of the Electoral Code and possible amendments that could “increase transparency, honesty and overall confidence in the electoral process”. Radev reminded of the conclusions of the Constitutional Court regarding a number of organizational and procedural problems that occurred during the last parliamentary elections, which, according to him, call into question the feeling of fairness of the vote.
The President also asked the representatives of "Vazrazhdane" whether they see risks or deficits in the law to continue the validity of the budget against the background of the new financial and economic situation, which is expected from the beginning of next year. He stressed that the effect of such an extension decision should be carefully assessed both from the point of view of public finances and of social support and the investment climate.
Regarding the request of "Vazrazhdane" to convene the Consultative Council on National Security (CSNS) for Bulgaria's membership in the Eurozone, President Rumen Radev stated that such a move would in practice legitimize and bring back to the political scene the government, “whose political death was sealed by the protest”. According to him, the result of such a CSNS is predictable and would be a waste of time, and the presidential institution is not a place where parties can repeat their political messages and turn it into a platform for pre-election agitation.
Radev specified that the current consultations are focused on the questions of whether this parliament will continue to function, whether the country is heading for elections and how these elections will be organized. He admitted that there is a serious problem with the honesty and transparency of the electoral process, which affects every political force, and added that "Vazrazhdane", as well as the other parties, are striving to use such formats to consolidate their own political platforms.
When asked whether he is “for” the Bulgarian lev or for the introduction of the euro, President Rumen Radev pointed out that he has already publicly expressed his opinion and attitude on the topic and that this choice should be made by Bulgarian citizens. He recalled that, in his capacity as head of state, he had proposed holding a referendum on the adoption of the euro, stressing that the number of EU member states that have held a referendum specifically on joining the Eurozone is small and in most cases the plebiscites for membership in the EU have been used as a basis for entering the currency union as well.
The resignation of the "Zhelyazkov" cabinet, submitted against the background of mass protests and immediately before the sixth vote of no confidence, opened the need for new political decisions and a possible new management formula. In this context, consultations with the President are of key importance as to whether a regular government will be elected within the framework of the 51st National Assembly or whether the country will head towards another early election.