site.btaUPDATED "There Is No Clear Political Will behind Current Caretaker Government and All Kinds of Predators Take Advantage of It," President Radev Says

There is no clear political will behind the current caretaker government and "all kinds of predators are taking advantage of this," President Rumen Radev told Bulgarian reporters in Singapore where he is on a working visit. 

He said he is not blaming the government for anything because "it is merely put in this situation". He added that he "doesn't see how the government can function in this way". 

He wished the MPs good luck in electing their Chair and said this election is crucial. That was before Parliament failed again, for a fifth time, to elect their leader and left the matter for next week.

"Today we awoke an interest in Bulgaria and I expect positive developments soon, but an important condition is to have a stable, regular, predictable government," the head of State further said.

He said he sees no constitutional crisis looming. "I don't think a constitutional crisis is looming. The Bulgarian Constitution, at least before it was revised, ensured uninterrupted government of the country by a politically neutral cabinet with a clear will and support," Radev said.

Asked if he expects the Constitutional Court to decide on his application regarding the constitutional changes by a certain date, the President said that it is a complex subject matter and he does not want to comment "when and how the Constitutional Court will make its decision". He expects, though, that a decision will be made "within a reasonable timeframe, considering the needs of this society".

On November 20, President Radev challenged for a second time the constitutionality of amendments to the Constitution adopted by the 49th National Assembly. The contested provisions are related to the abolition of the ban on dual citizenship as a mandatory condition for the eligibility of MPs, the ill-considered introduction of the principle of continuity of the mandate of deputies and parliament, as well as the procedure for appointing a caretaker government, which takes away from his the power to pick anybody for Prime Minister and determines a small pool of office-holders eligible for this job.