WCC-Democratic Bulgaria: President Radev puts himself above Parliament on war in Ukraine
In a joint statement on February 15, the We Continue the Change (WCC) party and Democratic Bulgaria coalition slammed President Roumen Radev’s stance on Russia’s war on Ukraine, saying that Radev was putting himself above Parliament and creating divisions in society.
Radev repeatedly has said that the caretaker government should send no further weaponry to Ukraine, while on February 15, Dimitar Stoyanov – a close associate of Radev’s and holder of the defence portfolio in the caretaker government Radev appointed – said that the administration had fulfilled Parliament’s December vote on arms to Ukraine.
On February 14, Radev – referring to WCC and Democratic Bulgaria as the “parties of war” said that they should first win the April 2 early parliamentary elections (in which they are standing jointly), “let them form a government, let them take responsibility for the decision for the Bulgarian army to hand over weapons to Ukraine”.
“People who know nothing about military affairs are doing their best to drag us into escalation processes that they cannot control,” Radev said.
The WCC-Democratic Bulgaria statement said that Radev’s stance drastically deviated both from the decisions made by an overwhelming majority in Bulgaria’s Parliament and from the united voices of the allies and partners in the Nato and the EU.
The joint statement called for Radev and the caretaker government to comply with the decisions with the highest body of the state, the Bulgarian Parliament, which are binding on all institutions, including the presidential one, all organisations and citizens.
The statement said that they should implement the decision to provide military aid to Ukraine, adopted by 148 votes by the Bulgarian Parliament, as well as the ratified international agreement between Bulgaria and Ukraine; and “not to make decisions and not express positions in a European and international format that contradict the country’s long-term commitments to the unions with which we are bound by international treaties”.
WCC and Democratic Bulgaria said that Radev and the caretaker government should comply with the country’s strategic priorities, including regarding joining the Eurozone and Schengen, formulated by the Bulgarian Parliament and the last regular government.
“Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic and we insist that the president comply with the constitutional form of government of our country such as not damaging the trust in the country’s democratically elected institutions with public statements; not participating directly in the formation of foreign and domestic policy, the basis of which are the laws and decisions of the parliament; and not seizing representative functions from the Prime Minister in a European and international format.”
Radev should focus on organising fair and transparent parliamentary elections, which was the immediate task of his caretaker government, the statement said.
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