site.btaGERB Leader Urges Transfer of Protection Service Cars and Drivers to President's Office

GERB leader Boyko Borissov announced Thursday that he has asked Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova to officially transfer all vehicles, drivers, and resources used by the President from the National Service for Protection to the President's Administration. According to Borissov, the move aims to “put an end to this circus where SUVs drive in front and back, and a Skoda in the middle.”

The request comes in the wake of recent legislative changes affecting the National Service for Protection (NSP), which is responsible for the transportation and security of the President and his administration. Parliament passed legislation banning the use of NSP vehicles by the President’s staff, following a motion by the MRF – New Beginning. Since the Presidency does not maintain its own fleet of cars, the new rules have prompted significant adjustments.

In response, President Rumen Radev declared solidarity with his administration staff by choosing to travel in his personal vehicle. He did that publicly last weekend when he arrived in the southern town of Smolyan using his own car to welcome the visiting President of Hungary, Tamas Sulyok.