When a law is passed that forces citizens to use their personal cars for government service, President Rumen Radev announced to journalists that he would express solidarity by also resorting to his personal car. This statement was made on the occasion of the upcoming changes in the Law on the National Security Service (NSS), which provide that the Service will cease providing transport services for the president's administration.
From October 20, the head of state intends to use his personal car when employees of the presidential administration are forced to use their vehicles for official purposes related to the state ceremony, protocol, and the president's work schedule. This is stated in a letter addressed by Radev to the head of the NSS, as announced earlier today by the press secretariat of the head of state.
The decision, although it can be defined as populist, is fair according to the president. "If they are really consistent and have voted for a law that forces people, and it is normal according to them, to perform official duties with personal cars, let them go all the way - let them get out of the limousines and also start doing official work with personal cars. That way, some of them will finally get to know their voters," Radev commented.
The president emphasizes his roots and values: "I do not come from street gangs, nor from a political test tube. I have formed myself as a value system precisely among the people with blue epaulettes, where the concepts of duty, responsibility, and solidarity are not empty concepts. I was the commander of these people, I was responsible for their lives, and I have never left them alone in difficult situations, in which the decisions of empowered politicians have often placed them," he adds.
According to the president, when the ruling class and the political elite pass laws that undermine the state, the responsibility for restoring it falls on the citizens.
The president also stressed that by law, there is no possibility to refuse his personal protection, but stated: "If the MPs pass this law, I will give up personal protection," the head of state points out.
The news about the president's actions comes against the backdrop of his participation in a ceremony in front of the Monument to the Bulgarian Aviator in Sofia, on the occasion of the Aviation and Air Force Day. Those present at the ceremony watched the celebration, with respect and curiosity reading on their faces at the same time.