First, let it be clear - if the National Assembly accepts President Rumen Radev's proposal and organizes a referendum on the euro, I will gladly go to vote and vote "for". Because I like both direct democracy and the idea of moving to the common European currency. There is no bad referendum and if someone tries to speak in principle against the referendum as a democratic practice, they will be seriously mistaken. This is what Petyo Tsekov warned for the "Sega" newspaper.
There is a belated and rather stupid attempt at a referendum
- the kind that Radev is trying to make. At 12 minutes to five, when the three authorities are ready, when the BNB is ready, when the Europeans are about to say "yes", he is trying to throw the already broken society into an endless dispute. The only benefit of this referendum would be political - Radev would receive clear support for that party project that we have been waiting for years and still do not see. And this project would finally identify itself not as "left", but as anti-European and pro-Russian.
In essence: The President can propose to the National Assembly the holding of a national referendum on issues within its competence. The National Assembly can make the final decision to hold a referendum and schedule it, because the change of currency is a matter within the competence of the Bulgarian Parliament, because the National Assembly has the authority to adopt laws that regulate the country's monetary system.
Radev's problem is different. The Bulgarian Parliament has already voted on the euro.
It adopted several decisions that affect the currency changeover.
There was a Decision on the adoption of the euro in the Republic of Bulgaria (adopted in October 2022) - with it the 48th National Assembly determined that Bulgaria would adopt the euro while maintaining the existing fixed exchange rate of the lev to the euro (1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN).
There was a decision to accelerate and complete the process of practical preparation for the adoption of the euro in the Republic of Bulgaria (adopted on July 26, 2024): it aimed to accelerate the process of preparation for the introduction of the euro. With it, the National Assembly assigned the Council of Ministers to take the necessary measures in coordination with the Bulgarian National Bank.
There was even a Law on the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria (adopted on August 7, 2024, promulgated on August 20, 2024). It is key and officially defined the euro as the currency of the Republic of Bulgaria from the date of its introduction. This law regulated the currency conversion process, the period of dual circulation of the lev and the euro, as well as other practical aspects related to the currency changeover.
All these decisions show the active role of the Bulgarian Parliament in the process of preparing and introducing the euro in Bulgaria. The law of August 2024 is particularly important, as it represents the legal basis for the future currency changeover. We already have a "National Plan for the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria".
There was a proposal for a referendum on the euro and it was from two parties - "Vazrazhdane" and "Ima takvi narod".
This proposal was rejected by the National Assembly on September 4, 2024. Very briefly and very clearly - the National Assembly already has a clear position against holding a referendum on the euro.
The leader of “Vazrazhdane” Kostadin Kostadinov even once scolded Radev in the presidency for not supporting their referendum on the euro. And then Radev did not react with a request for a referendum. He reacted with a request for a public debate and also doubted the legitimacy of such a referendum, considering Bulgaria's commitments to the European Union. "Conducting a referendum on issues regulated in already adopted and ratified international treaties is impossible", Radev said.
“European law has primacy over national law”, Radev then remembered.
The Constitutional Court also has a position on the matter. In general, it is - a referendum cannot be held on issues that are already regulated in existing international treaties ratified by Bulgaria. These treaties are part of the country's domestic law and have priority over domestic legislation if it contradicts them (Art. 5, para. 4 of the Constitution). Yes, the commitments to adopt the euro are enshrined in the Treaty on the Accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union, which has been ratified by the Bulgarian Parliament and is in force. Therefore, holding a referendum aimed at postponing or canceling these commitments is considered inadmissible by the Constitutional Court, as it would constitute a unilateral revision of an international treaty.
Of course, the National Assembly is the competent body to decide on holding a national referendum, but the Constitutional Court emphasizes that the judgment on whether to hold a referendum and what the issue should be must be exercised in accordance with the Constitution and the current laws, including Bulgaria's international treaties.
Radev, of course, knows this. That is,
he quite consciously launched the idea of a referendum that cannot pass through parliament.
And if it still comes to a referendum, in defiance of the law, the Constitutional Court, etc., I will go and vote "for".
Rumen Radev was at the peak of his fame when he appeared with a raised fist in front of the presidency in July 2020. He failed to turn this success into victory. He played stupidly, sending several people to play parties for him - some failed or emancipated themselves and failed. He was left-wing, now he is going into the gray spectrum, somewhere east of the euro. The request for a euro referendum puts him on a trajectory in which he can be both a Putinist and a Trumpist, but in Bulgarian translation this is quite clear - it is clear that he is somewhere near ITN and "Vazrazhdane".
That is, next year Radev will either be a nationalist under Kostadinov, or a screenwriter under Slavi. Although Kostadinov correctly perceives Radev as a competitor, not as a like-minded person. This niche is limited. If Radev could count on an electoral wave in 2020, then after his presidency his personal rating will depend on those 15 percent that the nationalists have, as well as the votes of the hesitant leftists. And they are too few for his ambitions.