Bulgaria’s Parliament overturns President Radev’s vetoes of bills on security agencies chiefs
Bulgaria’s Parliament voted on October 30 to overthrow vetoes by President Roumen Radev of bills amending the procedures for appointing the heads of the State Agency Technical Operations, which carries out covert surveillance operations, and the State Intelligence Agency.
The bills, passed by the National Assembly earlier this month, stipulate that the heads of the two agencies are to be appointed by an act of Parliament. Previously, those same positions were filled by presidential decree, but were nominated by the Prime Minister.
Radev announced the vetoes on October 22.
Parliament overrode the President’s veto on the amendments to the State Intelligence Agency Act and re-adopted the texts on second reading.
The amendments to the State Intelligence Agency Act were supported by 126 MPs, 86 were against, and there were no abstentions.
The veto on the amendments to the law on the State Agency for Technical Operations was overthrown with 124 votes and 75 against.
Bulgaria’s constitution grants the head of state a limited power of veto, through enabling the President to return legislation to the National Assembly for further discussion.
The National Assembly may overturn the President’s veto through a simple majority vote or accept the veto and review the vetoed clauses. Since taking office in January 2017, Radev made liberal use of the power and these were his 42nd and 43rd vetoed bills.
The National Assembly overturned the veto on all but eight occasions – seven times the veto was accepted by MPs and, in the other case, the government coalition at the time failed to muster the support needed to overturn it.
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