Vice President: Since Peevski Began Speaking About the State with a Capital “S”, the Contradictions Within the Government Seem to Have Grown

Vice President Iliana Iotova has described as a campaign against the presidential institution and President Rumen Radev the intentions of MPs to amend the rules for appointing the heads of the State Agency for National Security, Sytate Intelligence Agency and State agency Technical Operations. At first reading, the parliamentary Committee on Internal Security and Public Order voted that the chiefs of these services should be appointed on the proposal of the Council of Ministers, rather than by presidential decree.

The Vice President expects solid and serious arguments from MPs regarding their intention to change the rules for selecting the security chiefs.

Iotova also commented on the declaration by the leader of MRF – New Beginning, Delyan Peevski, about building a “State with a capital S.”

Iliana Iotova, Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria:
"We are yet to see what this ‘capital S’ State actually means. Since he started speaking about it, the contradictions and conflicts within the government seem to have deepened. The only thing I wish for as a Bulgarian citizen is that this does not lead to destabilisation of the country. And that all these manoeuvres, intrigues, conflicts, alliances and divisions do not come at the expense of Bulgarian citizens."

The Vice President also commented on the reaction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who described the President’s request for more information regarding the Bulgarian citizen mobilised in Ukraine as “populism and politicking.”

Iliana Iotova, Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria:
"I do not consider it normal in any state that when the President – the Head of State – expresses concern for the fate of a Bulgarian citizen, he is met with such a blunt, I would even say brutal, reaction from the Foreign Minister, whose job, after all, this is."

Yotova added that she is puzzled as to why the Bulgarian Embassy in Kyiv has not issued an official position on the case.