site.bta Parliament Overrides Presidential Veto on Military Intelligence Act

Parliament Overrides Presidential Veto on  Military Intelligence Act

Sofia, November 5 (BTA) - Parliament voted 159-15 with two
abstentions on Thursday to reject a veto, imposed by President
Rosen Plevneliev on provisions of the Military Intelligence Act.

The President vetoed the provisions on October 15. The
amendments in question, proposed by Left MP Tasko Ermenkov,
require the holder of the office of Defence Information Service
(DIS) Director to be a high-ranking military officer on active
duty. The current DIS director, Yordan Bakalov, does not meet
this requirement.

The debate in the plenary chamber focused on the problem with
Bakalov, who is forced to resign under the new provisions.

Angel Naydenov of BSP-Left Bulgaria said that while imposing the
 veto the President was "biased and emotionally tempted". He
said that there are no other defence structures in the country,
for which a discussion is held whether they should be headed by
civilians or militaries.

Atanas Atanassov of the Reformist Bloc countered that namely by
adopting the law the MPs have vested the Prime Minister and the
President with powers to select the person that would head DIS.
He accused the Left MPs of trying to politicize the problem by
personalizing it. Atanassov underscored that Bakalov has not
been appointed by the Reformist Bloc.

ABV MP Miho Mihov, who chairs the National Assembly Defence
Committee, said that a broader range of military experts may
hold the position. He noted that every minister forms a
political cabinet but the National Assembly should not allow
parasitic directorates in them. The military intelligence
services the defence sector, which is a pillar of natural
security, he argued. The military intelligence cadres, trained
in the military schools, will lose career motivation, if the MPs
 allow civilians to head such a structure.

Metodi Andreev (GERB) believes that the military intelligence is
 the most rigid sector in Bulgaria. Democratic practice has
shown that any Bulgarian citizen possessing the necessary
expertise and education may hold this position. He proposed,
however, that reserve officers be also admitted to competitions
for a DIS Director.

Ataka MP Stanislav Stanilov said that the President deals with
ridiculous issues because the military intelligence is expected
to conduct intelligence activity in favour of the army, while
Bulgaria does not have an army at present.