site.bta"Political Crisis Not Over," President Warns

"Despite the risk of the State being blocked because of the constitutional amendments, today we already have an appointed cabinet and a date for the [early parliamentary] elections, but the crisis is not over," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told journalists on his way into Parliament building on Tuesday morning.

"A solution to the political crisis will be found when the National Assembly succeeds in forming a stable majority and that majority renders up an effective government elected by Parliament. This stability is contingent on its [Parliament's] legitimacy. Legitimacy stems from two important factors: the voter turnout and the integrity of the elections. When the voter turnout is low, the integrity of the elections acquires enormous weight. That is why I was adamant and continue to insist on prioritizing the fight against controlled and bought voting," Radev said further.

"I leave aside speculation about whose proxy caretaker [Interior] Minister Atanas Ilkov is, this will become evident from his actions," the President commented. In his opinion, the Interior Ministry has a major role to play in suppressing controlled voting. "I hope that he will not be anybody else's proxy but a proxy of Bulgarian citizens," the head of State added.