site.btaPresident-elect Set on Promptly Appointing Caretaker Government and Dissolving Parliament

President-elect Set on Promptly Appointing Caretaker Government and Dissolving Parliament

Sofia, January 10 (BTA) - President-elect Rumen Radev has written in a position paper that he intends to adhere strictly to the Constitution and after taking office on January 22 he will immediately appoint a caretaker government, dissolve the National Assembly and set a date for parliamentary elections. The position paper, addressed to National Assembly Chairwoman Tsetska Tsacheva, was published by Radev's office on Tuesday.

Radev wrote that any attempts to prolong the life of the 43rd National Assembly in order to take care of unfinished work are against the Constitution and against a November 22 opinion of the Constitutional Court which confirmed the urgency of the actions that the new President will have to take.

He expressed his bewilderment at recent calls to extend the tenure of the outgoing National Assembly in order to amend election legislation in accordance with a November 6 referendum. He recalled that copies of a draft resolution on the matters of the referendum were provided to the competent parliamentary committees already in the middle of November, and later on the committees received copies of a bill to amend and supplement the Election Code, but nothing was done about that in the following two months. "Meanwhile, the MPs took a break from parliamentary work, which was their right but also their choice," Radev noted.

"I believe that in the remaining days of their work the people's deputies will act responsibly and respectfully to carry out the will of Bulgarian voters. I take this opportunity to wish the 43rd National Assembly fruitful work in the days leading up to its dissolution," he wrote.