President Radev Urges Parties to Honour Commitments on Electoral Reform

President Rumen Radev has announced that he is prepared to hand the first exploratory mandate to form a government at the earliest opportunity. Speaking during the Epiphany blessing of the Bulgarian Army’s battle flags and sacred banners, he also urged Parliament to reform electoral legislation to curb corporate and purchased voting.

Outgoing Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov reported a 4.3% reduction in personnel shortages within the army but warned that modernisation projects have stalled due to the absence of a state budget.

“I intend to hand the mandate to the largest parliamentary group as soon as possible,” President Radev said. “As you have followed in the consultations, the parties clearly stated that they see no future for the 51st National Assembly, but they also committed to legislative changes aimed at increasing trust in the electoral process. I sincerely hope they honour that commitment, because in just a few weeks Members of Parliament will again seek the confidence of voters.”

President Rumen Radev has called on political parties to fulfil the promises made during consultations to reform Bulgaria’s electoral legislation.

“They do not have much time for these legislative changes, which are needed to minimise subjectivity in vote counting and reporting,” Radev said. “As we have already discussed, this can be achieved through 100% machine voting, electronic vote counting, and mandatory manual counting of receipts, which should ensure greater public trust in the electoral process.”

On questions about whether he plans to enter politics with his own party, Radev rejected claims that he is dividing the nation:

“Apparently, such a party already exists, since our opponents cannot stop mentioning it. But the more pressing issue is where the old parties have gone, the ones that left the country without a budget,” he said.

He added: “We report every day on what we are doing for Bulgarian citizens. Despite all the criticism from the start of our term of office, and particularly towards me personally, that I am dividing the nation, the clear victory in the second elections in which we participated shows that people have a different view. The most important thing is to unite Bulgarians around their most important interests. We were not elected, with Vice President Iotova, to unite the parties; we were elected to unite Bulgarian citizens against any attempt to violate their rights.”

Photo by BTA

Radev also spoke on international developments, saying that the international legal order was falling apart following the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He called for strengthening Bulgaria’s military and criticised the government’s approach to foreign policy:

“You can see that over the past year, the authorities have made great efforts to limit the international role and powers of the presidency. Starting from NATO summits and UN General Assembly sessions, yet now, with so much activity and desire to conduct foreign policy, they remain strangely silent. The government, which constitutionally directs foreign policy, neither dares to formulate nor declare it. Venezuela is another episode in the breakdown of the international legal order we know, and precedents are accumulating that increase security risks for all countries, including Bulgaria. This means we must take much better care of the Bulgarian army, our own defence capabilities, and the strength and strategic weight of the alliances we are members of.”

Outgoing Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov has stated that Bulgaria’s military modernisation projects and recruitment of new personnel have been halted due to the absence of a state budget.

“In these conditions, the Ministry of Defence and the defence sector must wait,” Zapryanov said. “Over the past year, we have reduced the personnel shortfall from 28% by 4.3% among soldiers, and overall the army’s deficit has fallen by around 2%.”

Until a new budget is approved, the Bulgarian armed forces are also unable to access EU SAFE loans. As a result, key projects, including the acquisition of a new air defence system, three minehunters, and deliveries of 3D radars, have been delayed.