site.btaUPDATED PM Says President Is Overstepping His Powers, Prevents Him from Performing His Duties

Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said Wednesday that President Rumen Radev prevents him from fulfilling his duties. He was speaking during a Q&A session on social media. "The President has no right to refuse the requested replacement of the State Agency for National Security chairman because he prevents me from fulfilling my duties," Denkov said.

Denkov demanded the resignation of the head of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), Plamen Tonchev, on November 3 in a message to the President, but the head of State has made it clear that he finds the demand ill-founded.

Denkov said he has very serious grounds for calling for Tonchev's removal. "One of them is that he is covering up violations of classified information laws with his deputy. The motives are also related to showing political bias, which he has no right to do. The motives are very serious," Denkov stressed.

He cited Article 105 of the Constitution, which says that the Council of Ministers ensures public order and national security. Article 7 of the law on the operation of the national security system says that the Prime Minister exercises general leadership of the intelligence community. "The President has no right to refuse the requested replacement of the SANS chair because he is preventing me from carrying out the duties that I have under the Constitution and the law," the Prime Minister said. "He is overstepping his powers, again, and the argument that somebody wants to control the services is untenable because when the next chairman of SANS is appointed, that appointment must be coordinated with the President," Denkov said.

He also said that he needs to be able to work with the SANS leader to be able to do his job. "Radev has to sign [the decree for the SANS chair's replacement] and will do so. If he does not, it means that if, God forbid, something happens in the sphere of national security, he will be held responsible," the Prime Minister said.