By the end of May President Rosen Plevneliev will issue a decree whereby the 42nd National Assembly will be convened. This is what the head of state said on the occasion of the end of the early general election. Promptly after parliament is constituted, the President will start consultations with the parliamentary groups to form a new government in compliance with the procedure stipulated in the constitution. Rosen Plevneliev will hold preliminary talks with the political parties as early as 17 May and an agreement on the date for convening the new National Assembly is expected to be reached.
“Currently our basic task is to show that we can make the institutions function by starting from the basic institution – the National Assembly,” the head of state was adamant. He called for a nationally responsible attitude and promptly forming a government. “Parliament is the institution that should forge the necessary reforms and address the people’s hopes and meet their expectations by taking decisions in that direction. The National Assembly must form a government, which should be legitimate, have clear priorities, but not be based on vague compromises. It must do that in a transparent manner, before the very eyes of the nation,” the President emphasized. “My actions in the next days will be in compliance with the Constitution, as I have always done. The President’s Office will not be involved in behind-the-scene arrangements and negotiations in the dark. Everything will be made public and no coalitions will be formed in the President’s Office,” the head of state was adamant.
In his statement Rosen Plevneliev made an assessment of the election campaign that had just ended and of the social and political situation in the wake of the elections. The head of state expressed gratitude to the citizens who exercised their right to vote. The Central Electoral Commission and the international observers confirmed that on Election Day everything was normal, the organization of the general election was good and on a high level and every citizen had the opportunity to freely express their will, the President said. “However, there were also violations during the election campaign and on Election Day and I am sure that the competent authorities will complete their work on the launched probe into of the submitted signals– from the first to the very last,” Rosen Plevneliev said. “Unfortunately, the vote confirmed my position that the parties must work to strengthen the relationships not only between voters and politicians, but also between the parties themselves because a lot of bridges were burnt during this election campaign. The course of the election campaign fuelled additional mistrust in the institutions,” the head of state commented.
Rosen Plevneliev voiced hopes that what happened on reflection day, when the silence was broken by some participants in the election process, “will be completely unraveled.” “It is a pity that Bulgaria’s image was badly tarnished. I do not agree that everything is possible during elections and that this is possible to the detriment of Bulgaria. What is currently necessary is that politicians and statesmen assume the responsibility to form a government, achieve results, and secure peace and stability,” the President was adamant. “Although there will always be people who are content or discontent with one vote or another, we have organized elections for many years now. As a convinced democrat I accept the people’s vote as it is and I believe that we should move ahead. Although this task is not an easy one, it can be fulfilled. The results will come with less scandals and more work, no matter what the structure of the parliament is,” the head of state further added.
A parliament should be formed as soon as possible, Rosen Plevneliev reiterated and he was adamant that Bulgaria does not need a second general election. “This will demotivate the investors and will create conditions for a further destablilization of the state,” the President warned. He added that so far there is no information that the vote had been manipulated and this fact was confirmed by all competent authorities. “The state showed that the institutions can function, they can exchange information and bear responsibility. So far we do not have access to information that there have been serious election violations and manipulations, which will raise the important question whether the nation’s vote has been replaced or not. In my opinion, it has not been replaced,” the President commented.
Rosen Plevneliev further recalled that for the first time an Election Board was established at the Council of Ministers, for the first time people have received convictions on Election Day. As for the case involving the ballots in Kostinbrod, a good interaction and quick reaction were displayed, the head of state said. However, he emphasized that the competent authorities owe the general public information and explanation. The President lauded the action taken by the Supreme Court of Cassation in this respect and called once again on the institutions to “complete this investigation and also all other signals on violations made, including the ones made on reflection day.”
Replying to a journalist’s question, the President recalled that by virtue of the constitution the caretaker government will work until a new cabinet is formed. “I am convinced that the political parties represented in the 42nd National Assembly will do their best to find a way to form a government. Anything else would breed further destabilization and this is not what I want,” the head of state pointed out. Rosen Plevneliev does not think that there are reasons to quash the elections. “Before we start seeking political dividends, we should give the competent authorities the chance to finish their work, so that they can bear their responsibility,” Rosen Plevneliev appealed.