site.btaPresident-elect Rumen Radev Takes Oath of Office in Parliament

President-elect Rumen Radev Takes Oath of Office in Parliament

Sofia, January 19 (BTA) - Bulgaria's newly elected President and Vice President, Rumen Radev and Iliana Iotova, took the oath of office in the National Assembly on Thursday.

Radev and Iotova said: "I swear in the name of the Republic of Bulgaria to observe the Constitution and the law of the land and in all my actions to be guided by the interests of the people. I have sworn." This wording of the oath is enshrined in the Constitution and is also used by the MPs and the members of the Council of Ministers.

Radev will be inaugurated on January 22.

The national anthem and the anthem of Europe were played.

The event was attended by all parliamentary groups, outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, ministers and Patriarch Neophyte. The guests included President Rosen Plevneliv, Vice President Margarita Popova, Presidents Peter Stoyanov and Georgi Purvanov, Ombudsman Maya Manolova, high-ranking military officers, members of the judiciary, diplomats, representatives of state bodies, the trade unions and the registered religions.

In his first address to Parliament after he took the oath, President-elect Radev said he was grateful to be the President of a State with a history spanning over 13 centuries. He thanked his predecessors Zhelyu Zhelev, Peter Stoyanov, Georgi Purvanov and Rosen Plevneliev for their contribution to building the statehood.

Radev said: "EU and NATO membership is a strategic choice which must not be questioned." He stressed that effective membership requires an awareness and consistent protection of the national interest in both families. Bulgaria's foreign policy should be formulated inside the country and defended abroad, not vice versa; it should be open to the world and win friends and partners, not enemies, he said.

"I am convinced that United Europe must be preserved by all means, the opposite would be an unforgivable waste of historical time," Radev said. He emphasized that Bulgaria's Presidency of the EU Council in 2018 was a challenge as well as a major opportunity, which requires responsibility and a joint effort at all levels.

There is obviously a crisis between the EU and NATO on the one hand and Russia on the other, but an escalation of confrontation is not a solution, said Radev. In this context the President should help to resolve the crisis through the Union's existing mechanisms. The new global political situation opens the way to solving the problem through dialogue, according to him.

"In my capacity as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, I will work towards building Armed Forces capable not only of worthy participation in NATO's collective defence, but of safeguarding Bulgaria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," said Radev.

He said that after a long period of procrastination, Bulgaria has adopted investment projects and has allocated funds for the rearmament of the armed forces. Radev vowed to follow closely the actions of the responsible institutions, because Bulgaria's defence capabilities for decades ahead will depend on this complex process and the choice of new armament.

The President-elect said that he will continue to work to improve the social status of servicemen and end the drain away from the military profession which has taken on dangerous proportions.

Touching on the migrant crisis, Radev said that it calls for joint action and resolve. He was adamant that Bulgaria should take steps to boost its border controls and curb the number of illegal migrants and called for a revision of the Dublin Treaty.

The next legislature should make the judicial reform a priority, said the President-elect, in order achieve fast, just and independent justice. According to him, both Bulgaria's EU partners and the Bulgarian citizens see slow justice, low public approval of the judiciary and a widespread sense of impunity. He warned, however, that the judicial reform should not be seen as a cure-all.

Radev said that the election reforms should be done in such way so as not to create more problems and increase the accountability of the members of Parliament before voters. According to him, party subsidies should be reduced considerably but with the awareness that this will make them more dependent on outside factors.

Radev said: "As president I don't plan on exceeding my constitutional powers, but I won't accept to have them trimmed."

"A society which ignores solidarity is destined for spiritual collapse," said the President-elect. "The poverty of thousands of Bulgarians is a reproach to all of us, because it breeds crime."

Turning to the subject of economy, he said that the mechanisms for protection of competition are working poorly and consumer protection is not sufficient. "The Bulgarian economy seems sustainable, the taxes are low and there is economic growth but ordinary people see something else: dozens of Bulgarians are working abroad to support their families, villagers make their purchases on credit and foreign investors are deterred by corruption."

Radev said that Bulgarians need to receive decent pay. "The transition period is a test for Bulgarians, but we should not abandon the weak and the poor. The unresolved problems of this period have turned into a devastating demographic crisis," said Radev. According to him, it is important to create conditions so that young people stay in Bulgaria and bring up their families here.

He vowed to put efforts into making Bulgarian expatriates feel the support of the state.