President Radev Returned Part of the Amendments to State Intelligence Agency Act for Further Consideration

President Rumen Radev has returned to the National Assembly for reconsideration certain provisions of the Law on Amendments to the Law on the State Intelligence Agency, adopted on 10 October this year, which assign the authority to appoint and dismiss the agency’s chairperson to the National Assembly.

In his reasoning, the Head of State notes that the amendments to the existing mechanism for appointing and dismissing the Head of the State Intelligence Agency, in the context of shared competence between the Council of Ministers and the President, undermine guarantees of objectivity, independence, and freedom from political influence in the selection process. Under the changes to the law, the assumption and termination of the chairperson’s powers would become dependent on transient political interests in Parliament, which is neither in the national interest nor conducive to national security.

The President also disputes the argument put forward by the bill’s sponsors that having the National Assembly elect the State Intelligence Agency chairperson would ensure stability, predictability, and public trust. He notes that, in the event of a conflict between the Council of Ministers and the President, no candidate would be elected. The objective is not to secure unquestioning unanimity between state bodies for every nomination, but to allow the selection of the chairperson to fall under the judgment of an additional independent body—a condition necessary for gaining public confidence.

In seeking to ensure a conflict-free choice and guaranteed unanimity, the National Assembly, according to the President, effectively usurps the authority to determine the agency’s chairperson, thereby politicising the process and making the chairperson dependent on shifting parliamentary majorities.

President Vetoes the Amendements to the State Agency for National Security Act