Tensions in the Triangle of Power: Dispute Between the President and the Cabinet Over the Management of State-Owned Properties

President Rumen Radev has accused the government of preparing to plunder state-owned properties. The head of state urged Parliament to support his veto on amendments to the State Property Act, passed on the final working day before MPs’ summer recess.

The government issued a statement reminding the public that, in order to avoid speculation on the matter, it had proposed that parliament approve the programme. Meanwhile, a prominent figure in MRF – New Beginning, Kalin Stoyanov, accused the President of populism.

The Head of State sharply criticized the cabinet over the government's programme for exercising rights over state-owned properties.

Rumen Radev - President of the Republic of Bulgaria:

“The government of Peevski and Borissov is preparing to sell off state-owned properties – some here along the Black Sea coast, others near the state border. They are preparing the biggest plunder since the 1990s. These are 4,400 state-owned properties. It is no coincidence that they pushed through amendments to the State Property Act on the eve of the summer holidays.”

Radev expressed outrage that this move was a way for the cabinet to fill a budget deficit:

Rumen Radev – President of the Republic of Bulgaria:

“The rush towards adopting the euro has emptied the treasury, and now the cabinet is looking for cash by selling off the state. One mistake leads to another. The beneficiaries will be the clientele of the new coalition, while all Bulgarians will grow poorer and nature will suffer. That is why I imposed the veto and I expect MPs to reflect on it.”

The Government Information Service addressed its reply to “those who are just starting out” and “those who continue to politically abuse” the programme. It clarified that the programme was adopted on 8 May, with its main purpose being to catalogue state-owned properties that are no longer needed and whose management generates losses – both in terms of the costs for their protection and maintenance, and the absence of revenue.

The Council of Ministers criticised the president’s remarks as malicious and politically motivated, saying it had proposed that the National Assembly approve the programme to ensure transparency. The aim, it added, was to optimise processes, including clarifying the actual condition, legal regime, and status of state-owned real estate.

MP Kalin Stoyanov of MRF-New Beginning described Radev’s comments as a “populist lie”. According to him, the President’s statements convey untruths and divide Bulgarian society.

In a position published on Facebook, Stoyanov claimed that Radev was commenting on tension artificially created by We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria. He insisted that the amendments to the State Property Act do not envisage the sale of state-owned properties, but rather their transfer to municipalities across the country. Stoyanov added that MRF – New Beginning would not allow state-owned properties to be sold to anyone.