President Iotova to TISP: We Are Operating Under a Constitution That Undermines the Balance of Powers

Consultations at the Presidency between President Iliyana Iotova and parliamentary parties over the appointment of a caretaker prime minister continue on February 4. A meeting between the head of state and representatives of 'There Is Such a People' took place on February 4, attended by Toshko Yordanov, chair of the There Is Such a People parliamentary group, deputy chair Stanislav Balabanov, and the group’s secretary Pavela Mitova.

President Iotova stressed her commitment to ensuring fair and transparent elections.

“At the same time, it is my firm belief that the state cannot — and should not — come to a halt during this period. The constitutional changes also envisage a functioning National Assembly and shared responsibility between the work of the future Council of Ministers and Parliament. We are facing very serious problems related to the budget — we are operating under an extended budget that was not designed for a country preparing to join the eurozone. We are also dealing with a price shock that must be addressed,” Iotova said at the start of the consultations.

President Iliyana Iotova also congratulated 'There Is Such a People' for voting against the constitutional amendments concerning the rules and procedure for appointing a caretaker prime minister.

“We will have to work under this amended Constitution, which means that we are undermining the spirit of the Constitution — the separation of powers, their mutual checks and balances, and the possibility of forming a caretaker cabinet independent of the political status quo to steer the country through parliamentary elections,” Iotova said.

She reiterated to 'There Is Such a People' that responsibility for the choice of a caretaker prime minister rests entirely with the National Assembly. Yotova again underlined that her overriding effort is to ensure the elections are held on the first possible date after the consultations conclude and after Easter.

“You are a President in an interesting situation. It arose somewhat unexpectedly, but you are carrying significant responsibility and facing high expectations. As for the fact that we are without a budget and without adequate social protection, and that there are suspicions of price speculation in certain sectors — that is true, but the reason for this is the removal of a regular government. The protests were organised mainly by 'We Continue the Change–Demicratic Bulgaria' under the slogan ‘no to the budget’,” said Toshko Yordanov of 'There Is Such a People'.

photos by Dessislava Kulelieva, BNT

For his part, Toshko Yordanov noted that 'There Is Such a People' have twice referred the so-called “house book” to the Constitutional Court.

“As far as the ‘house book’ is concerned, President Radev had a more limited choice than you — I am referring to the people who have agreed,” Yordanov said. “In the current situation, there are two figures who are clearly politically affiliated. One of them, Andrey Gyurov, was chair of the WCC–DB parliamentary group. He is a purely political nominee. Dimitar Glavchev was Speaker of the National Assembly on behalf of GERB. He, too, is overtly political. As for the remaining three, it is your responsibility to decide how to assess them.”

Earlier today, Iliyana Iotova held talks with representatives of 'MRF – New Beginning' and 'BSP – United Left'.