Bulgaria's Rulers Tangled in Conflict over Social Security Institute

MP Svetlana Angelova has been proposed by the GERB Parliamentary Group as the new Social Security Institute head. Photo by Monitor Daily

A Member of Parliament form Bulgaria's ruling center-right party GERB, Svetlana Angelova, has been nominated to run the country's National Social Security Institute (NOI).

Angelova has been nominated by the Parliamentary Group of GERB. She is currently the deputy head of the Parliamentary Committee on Social Policy.

Her nomination comes after last week reports leaked that the former deputy head of Bulgaria's Financial Supervision Commission Bisser Petkov stands very high chances to be elected the next chair of the country's Social Security Institute (NOI) because he was a nominee of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov.

Bulgaria's National Social Security Institute has been without a director since late May when the government ousted its previous favorite Hristina Mitreva causing a melodramatic address on her part to a general assembly of the institution's employees.

During her final press conference, Mitreva informed of pressure by the ruling center-right party GERB over appointing directors for the regional units of NOI of people lacking the necessary qualifications. In her words, there had been lists of candidates from the local structures of GERB in circulation.

She added that, despite the pressure, all candidates had participated in competitions with "fair and explicit" rules. As a result, only four of the suggested 17 GERB applicants had performed well and had been appointed. The appointments of these directors were the most popular hypothesis for Mitreva's resignation.

Mitreva said that Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov and Labor Minister Totyu Mladenov had been keeping her in isolation for two months, which had made her stay impossible. She dismissed accusations that she was guilty for the miscalculated social security revenues, which was the official motive behind the call for her resignation.

According to GERB MP Angelova, who spoke Wednesday morning, she was supported unanimously by the entire Parliamentary Group of the ruling party to take over NOI. She further declared that she was prepared to assume responsibility for the position.

The Bulgarian daily Trud reported Wednesday that the MPs of the GERB party have put forth Svetlana Angelova because they are opposed to Bisser Petkov becoming the director of the Social Security Institute.

According to Trud, the GERB MPs are furious at Finance Minister Simeon Djankov for stating recently that his intention to impose a tax on their allowances that are not subject to taxation at present.

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