site.btaPresident Radev Slams Next Year's Budget, Won't Veto It

November 27 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev described next year's State Budget as devastating and based on the "After me, the deluge" philosophy. The head of State, however, said he will not veto the 2021 State Budget Act. He was speaking here on Friday to journalists during the foundation-stone laying ceremony for a new church in Sofia's Izgrev residential district. The event was also attended by Vice President Iliana Iotova and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova.

The budget is not just unrealistic, but is already inadequate in the current circumstances, let alone the challenges expected next year, said Radev.

The next government will be faced with a very unfavourable situation, the President noted, adding that this budget will plunge the country further into debt with its ever less competitive economy.

Asked to comment on the declared anti-epidemic measures, which will be in effect between November 28 and December 21, Radev described them as hasty and belated in terms of a balance between health, economic and social measures. He further said that opportunities were missed to take action this summer and now the Government is trying to suggest that the sick are the ones to blame.

Bulgarians are dying not because of the coronavirus, but mostly because of the chaos in managing the crisis and because they are denied access to health care, which is enshrined in the Constitution. They are dying of poor quality of life, lack of preventive health care and the hampered treatment of other diseases that are no less dangerous, Radev said.

Later on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev commented in Parliament on Radev's assessment of the conclusively adopted 2021 State Budget Act by saying that the President is using a "disgusting technology for political dividends". According to Donchev, Radev's words are not confirmed by the data of a single international financial institution; on the contrary, Bulgaria will continue to be among the countries with the lowest debt.

Labour and Social Policy Minister Denitsa Sacheva in turn described the President's criticism against the measures that are being applied and next year's State Budget as "yet another political quibble", which continues to undermine trust in the institutions, instead of offering alternative solutions. According to Sacheva, this budget is exclusively aimed at the people, as it includes a number of social measures for the elderly, people with disabilities and employment retention schemes.

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Commenting on the Republic of North Macedonia's European perspective, Rumen Radev said that for many years the Government had been making generous promises about unconditional support for its neighbour's EU membership, and the results are visible today. "Very late, after a huge delay, the Government remembered that it has to uphold the national interest, which is why it found itself in isolation after failing to convince our European partners that the conditions of Bulgaria's national framework position, adopted by Parliament with a consensus, should be included in the negotiating framework," he said. According to Radev, it would be a grave mistake if prime ministers Boyko Borissov (of Bulgaria) and Zoran Zaev (of North Macedonia) "pull off a theatrical performance in front of the audience" and sign yet another wishful declaration, like the agreement from 2017, without clear criteria, without verification mechanisms and without means to measure compliance. Bulgaria has the biggest interest and desire for the Republic of North Macedonia to get its European perspective, Radev said. "In this situation, after Bulgaria failed to include its requirements in the negotiating framework, it has to agree on the start of negotiations after the objective historical facts are recognized and after the process of eliminating hate speech and the abuse of our national identity and sovereignty becomes sustainable and irreversible," the Bulgarian head of State said.

Asked about Parliament' decision not to convene a Grand National Assembly, Radev said that the incumbents' draft constitution came to an end that is even more humiliating than its inception. According to him, the Prime Minister is using the Constitution only to win a few more months in power so that the incumbents can hold the next general elections according to their system.

According to Radev, the ambassadorial appointments must be put on hold until the next parliamentary elections. He noted that there is a cycle of changing ambassadors, adding that he insists that proven professionals and career diplomats should be appointed. The political quota of appointed ambassadors has dropped from 35 per cent to less than 20 per cent, the President said, adding that has worked towards this. Bulgaria should not be just sending ambassadors to run embassies, but send people who uphold this country's interests, broaden partnerships and help Bulgarian businesses in every possible way so that there can be a more aggressive export-oriented policy.
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