site.btaVP Iotova: President's Administration Does Not Engage in Political Engineering

The President's administration does not engage in political engineering, Vice President Iliana Iotova said in an interview with the Bulgarian National Television on Saturday, in connection with Movement for Rights and Freedoms floor leader Delyan Peevski's comments that the President's administration has already turned into party headquarters and President Rumen Radev "admitted that he is becoming a political leader," of a new party called "Third of March". 

"The big battle and war with the presidential institution started when they [the rulling coalition] realized that President Rumen Radev would not become part of this 'assemblage' [the word used to describe the ruling majority of GERB-UDF and Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria, since these formations refuse to call themselves a coalition].", Iotova stated.

The Vice President denied that there were "payments in envelopes" for appointments to the caretaker cabinets. "I have never seen such a thing in the presidential institution," she stressed.

Iotova said she does not expect an impeachment procedure to be triggered against the President. "First, because it automatically means even higher rating for the President, because the arguments will be ridiculous. Second, because the aim is not impeachment but smearing the head of State," Iotova argued. 

Regarding Bulgaria's full accession to Schengen, the Vice President said that she definitely does not expect this to be realized by the end of this year.