Bulgarian President: Vetoes Are My Constitutional Right

The true debate on the budget revision never materialized, according to Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev.

Plevneliev spoke Sunday before the Bulgarian National Radio, commenting on the Parliament overturning his veto on the budget update last Friday.

He reiterated he imposed the veto not for political revenge, but led by the desire to have an in-depth debate, hear opinions and arguments for and against the new BGN 1 B loan included in the budget actualization.

Plevneliev rejected accusations he was meddling in the affairs of the legislators, stressing the Constitution gives him full rights to impose vetoes.

"My veto was an extended hand. And I still insist that the revision should have happened in the fall. I support the social measures in the new budget and payments of money owed to the business, but I want to know exactly how and to whom this money will be distributed so that it does not end in the hands of 3-4 individuals. And I still don't understand why the Speaker of the Parliament initially wanted to hold the vote on the veto on August 30. Why such delay when they say the veto will trigger the collapse of the country's economy?" said the President.

Regarding criticism he did not attend the vote, he commented that there was no such practice and tradition. Plevneliev also firmly rejected accusations he was causing a rift in the nation, stressing he was supporting the democratic right of all people to stage protest rallies.

Meanwhile, the protest rallies in Bulgaria against the Socialist-endorsed Cabinet of Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski, entered day 65 Saturday evening.

They were sparked on June 14, after the Members of the Parliament hastily and without debates appointed controversial businessman, media mogul and lawmaker from the predominantly ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Delyan Peevski, as Chief of the State Agency for National Security, DANS.

In the Sunday interview, Plevneliev was adamant he did not know in advance about plans to appoint Peevski to the post and was stunned and outraged by the move.

The President also commented on the controversy surrounding the iftar dinner on the occasion of the great Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr (Ramazan Bayrami), which he recently attended along with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag.

"Of course, I will attend again next year. This is not a dinner to discuss real estate. There were scores of people, including on behalf of other countries, who honored the invitation of the Chief Mufti Office. I went because I respect Bulgarian Muslims as I respect Bulgarian Jews and Bulgarian Catholics," he concluded.

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