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Rosen Plevneliev: The veto is not an instrument of pressure, but a means to hear all the arguments

While I am President, vetoes will not be an instrument of pressure, but a means to hear all the arguments. There are clear motives for the veto of some of the Judiciary Act amendments and this is not intended to interfere with someone, President Rosen Plevneliev told journalists in Belgrade in response to a question. He was participating in a meeting of Heads of States Parties to the Process of Co-operation in South East Europe (SEECP). The President emphasised that the decision to impose a veto is the result of advice from his legal counselors and the positions put forward by many governmental and professional organizations.

Asked why he did not veto the texts relating to the period for selecting the new Prosecutor-General and allowed the selection to be done by the current Supreme Judicial Council, President Plevneliev expressed confidence that after the Prime Minister, Prosecutor-General, Minister of Justice and representatives of political parties had declared their intention explicitly that the new Supreme Judicial Council would choose the next Prosecutor-General, they were morally bound that their words would be matched by their deeds.

The President reiterated his position that the procedure for the selection and nomination of the new Prosecutor-General and members of the next SJC should be as transparent as possible and should be given a longer period of time to allow applications to be public and to hear the arguments of those who nominate them. This will give the candidates a chance to present their positions for their future posts. Therefore, as President, the period of six months is viable and it is important to be able to see all the arguments and to have a procedure that is of sufficient length and transparent. President Plevneliev emphasised that he had reservations about the way that the SJC worked and noted that the council does not enjoy a high degree of public trust.

Asked whether he would veto the Forestry Act amendments, President Plevneliev said that the presidential institution will give a hearing to everyone before deciding his stance and he would rule within the period allowed by the constitution.