We - from the – "Civil Movement for a Presidential Republic", intend to organize as many people as possible so that we can collect signatures for a referendum for a presidential republic. We are now organizing with people who will start collecting signatures for the convening of a referendum. The goal is for the signatures not to be as many as are required by law - 400,000, but to be close to a million, so that it becomes clear to those who define themselves as the political class that this is what the people want. We plan to start the signatures in the spring. Within three months, we will organize to collect these signatures - of course, if there are no force majeure circumstances. In August, they will be submitted to the National Assembly to request a national referendum. This was announced to Lili Marinkova in the studio “FACTS“ and the program “Conversation“ by Krasimir Yankov from the Civic Movement for a Presidential Republic.
“The question will be: “Should Bulgaria be a presidential republic?“ We plan for this to happen during the presidential elections - when the people will elect a head of state. This way, the Central Election Commission will be able to hold the elections and the referendum simultaneously, since in total they cost over 100 million leva. That is our plan. Let's see how well we can organize ourselves“, said the guest.
“We are aware that politicians and those who are in power or expect to be in power will be against it. They are comfortable with this system. We have Romania as an example, which in 2003 held a national referendum and adopted expanded powers for the president. President Traian Basescu carried out reforms and so Romania, which was lagging behind and was in a worse condition than Bulgaria, has now overtaken us - with a higher standard and more investments. And investments are the exact measure - in which country there is an environment of predictability, order and rules that are respected,“ added Yankov.
“Certainly the parties and those involved in the state administration will be against a presidential republic - a model of government in which it is clear in whose hands the power is, and the responsibility is clearly distributed. The supreme commander-in-chief, the head of state, will himself determine the executive branch and thus will not be a hostage to the parties. A majority-elected president has no interest in a bloated administration, overgrown with party appointments, working not for the citizens, but for votes. The head of state in a presidential republic will have an interest in an effective, highly paid, but smaller administration that works in the service of the citizens. Because he is considered to be elected by the majority - before the people, and not before party agreements or deals, including when nominating him. When we have a majority election for a person in whom real power will be, then the activity will be very high. The one who wins will have to receive over 50% of the support. This is what the parties will not like, because none of them can nominate a person who will receive such support. I deeply believe that none of the current politicians who are now in power can achieve such recognition. Even collectively they cannot produce support of over 50% with today's activity. And when voting for the president, even without real power, the turnout is close to 70%, not 30% and a few, as in parliamentary elections,“ the guest also shared.
See more of the conversation in the VIDEO.