GERB and United Patriots discussed President’s veto in Parliament

GERB and the United Patriots (partners in the ruling coalition government) on 27^th of February discussed the veto of the President in the Parliament.

In the second week of the absence of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) in Parliament, the issue of the MPs’ salaries is still the topic of the day. The legal affairs parliamentary committeee has received 5 proposals for amendments to the Rules of the National Assembly, which are related to the MPs' salaries. They were presented by GERB, BSP, and the United Patriots.

Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Chair of the Parliamentary Group of GERB (majority partner in the ruling coalition): If you do not go to work, will you get salaries from your employers? We believe that we must be solidary with all those Bulgarian citizens who, when they do not go to work, are not entitled to receive the relevant remuneration. If you do not go to work, you will not get a salary. This is what we will take as action.

Valeri Simeonov, Chair of NFSB party (a constituent party in the United Patriots alliance, which is a minority partner in the ruling coalition): Those who are not present at 3 consecutive sittings or 5 sittings for a month, should not receive any pay. No salary, nor extra remuneration. We believe that this will achieve disciplining effect.

Yordan Tsonev, chair of the MRF PG: I have seen several drafts - are they 5 or 6? We will not support any. Most of them are an attack on parliamentarism, in our view. Parliamentarism is not what some think – to just push buttons or service staff. The Constitution contains a text about the free will of the MPs.

After President Rumen Radev vetoed Election Code provisions, the same day GERB said they would most likely reject the presidential veto and move on to the amendments they proposed. At the time, IMRO and Ataka (constituent parties of the United Patriots) said they would most likely support the President's veto.

It was namely the veto that was discussed today between the chair of GERB PG, Tsvetan Tsvetanov and representatives of the Unitted Patriots. Tsvetanov said that the talks between GERB and the Patriots will continue and Iskren Veselinov said that a single solution is sought.

Answering a BNT question on when specific results could be expected, Volenn Siderov, the Chair of the Unified Patriots PG said that the main topic today was the veto. Tomorrow we will have a precise decision on what we do on the veto, he added.