Yesterday at the end of the day, I received this avant-garde proposal, President Rumen Radev told journalists about the proposal of Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev to also take over the post of Foreign Minister.
I advised him to study things more, because it seems to me that he still did not understand what he was doing as a prime minister, let alone a foreign minister, added the head of state. He announced that he will speak again with the caretaker prime minister on Monday. If he keeps it, I accept all his proposals, Radev also said, quoted by BTA.
We have many wonderful diplomats who are ready to immediately take over the ministry and do the job better than Daniel Mitov.
Regarding the proposal that Daniel Mitov be appointed acting minister of foreign affairs, the head of state commented: “Although it took him almost a week, Mr. Mitov finally understood that if I had appointed him to this post, he would have fallen into a severe conflict of interest because the Minister of Foreign Affairs is directly responsible for the organization of elections abroad. This cannot be done if the deputy chairman of a party participating in the elections is in office. Let it be clear in this case that I did not defend Mr. Stefan Dimitrov. I have been against the deputy chairman of a party being in charge of elections abroad.
Radev advised Dimitar Glavchev “to consult experts” whether he can combine the two positions – acting prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, as stated in Glavchev's latest proposal.
„If he behaves as I have said, I accept all his proposals and do not interfere in his work. I only intervened when things got out of control, out of normality. I say again that a deputy chairman of a party organizing elections would discredit the entire electoral process, Radev said.
„It is very important that this government succeeds, it is very important that Mr. Glavchev succeeds. We've really been turning people away from the polls in recent years. It is important that this government provides a normal environment for conducting the election process”, the head of state also pointed out.
„I hope he realizes what he is doing. It is very important what team of deputies will be formed in the Foreign Ministry. Let's not have any illusions that Mr. Glavchev will be able to control the processes in the Foreign Ministry, added Rumen Radev.
He defined as complete speculation the statements made by some politicians that the current foreign minister is “his man”. “I have confidence in each of these ministers enough to sign the decree at the suggestion of Mr. Glavchev. That's it, Radev stressed.
When asked how he would comment on the allegations of the existence of an agreement between him and GERB and DPS, Radev answered: “By listening to the fantasies of some politicians, I understand why their efforts to reform the Constitution gave birth to a premature baby, which served us all this chaos in the moment. It is terribly ridiculous that the people who yesterday were coalition partners of GERB and DPS, now imagine that I am collaborating with GERB and DPS. This jealousy is absolutely ridiculous. These people, instead of occupying us with their fantasies, owe a clear answer to the Bulgarian voters – whether they will revive the vicious assemblage and once again form that majority that brought us to these changes in the Constitution and that brought us all these problems that we have to solve today”.
When asked how the lack of a newly elected chief secretary of the Ministry of the Interior will affect the upcoming vote, the president pointed out that this is entirely the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and Mr. Glavchev. “Whatever attempts are made to transfer some responsibility to the presidency, including from the Prime Minister, if he opens the Constitution, he will find that the Council of Ministers directs and implements Bulgaria's domestic and foreign policy. Not the president. I wish him success," Rumen Radev said.
The Prime Minister also indicated that he proposed to Dimitar Glavchev to make the two appointments – of the official ministers of foreign affairs and of agriculture in a package, with one decree.
„It is frivolous. We make it easier every day to issue decrees for the replacement of ministers who were appointed a week ago, were given a vote of confidence and are motivated by this same prime minister,” argues Rumen Radev. When asked whether Georgi Takhov is acceptable for the post of acting Minister of Agriculture and Food, Rumen Radev indicated that he did not comment on this.
Responsibility for the chaos lies with those parties in parliament who approved this generator of chaos – the changes in the Constitution, the president also pointed out.
The head of state commented on the topic before the official opening of the international tournament Sofia Karate Open 2024 – President's Cup in the hall “Asics Arena“ in the capital.