Bulgaria's President: Civic Energy Changed the Agenda

Politics » DOMESTIC | February 28, 2013, Thursday // 12:36
Bulgaria: Bulgaria's President: Civic Energy Changed the Agenda In an address to the nation on Thursday, Plevneliev cited May 12 as the date for the early elections. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has said that the next Parliament will have important problems to solve like anti-trust laws, the restructuring of the energy sector, and the liberalization of the electricity market according to EU rules.

In an address to the nation on Thursday, Plevneliev cited May 12 as the date for the early elections.

The scenario of early elections is expected to take place after the third biggest party in Parliament, the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party returns the mandate to form an interim government.

Center-right party GERB and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) have already returned the mandate to form an interim government.

DPS is also expected to turn down the proposal to form an interim government, after which Plevneliev will have to form a caretaker government, issue a decree for the dissolution of Parliament and specify a date for the elections in the same document.

Bulgaria's center-right GERB government resigned on February 20 amid mass protests against high electricity bills and low wages.

If the early elections are scheduled for May 12, as Plevneliev suggested, this would mean that the Parliament should be dissolved no later than March 12, Sega daily informs.

Speaking Thursday in Parliament, Plevneliev reminded that Bulgaria had gone through many rough patches in its history.

"Over the past 23 years, Bulgaria went through a number of crises, but the country's history does not consist of 23 years only. We have been through very rough times. We have had periods during which political parties were banned, periods when the Constitution was suspended, etc. History is important and we have to remember it, because without our roots we will dry up soon," Plevneliev stated.

"The Constitution protects us during hard times, it is our pillar of support," he declared.

Turning to protesters, Plevneliev said "You have already changed Bulgaria. Governments have fallen before, but know you managed to change the agenda."

He invited protesters to engage in constructive dialogue in order to delineate and solve the most urgent problems, adding that the agreement on the solutions had to be achieved through "willingness and responsibility on all sides."

"Civic energy is very strong nowadays and it is everywhere. Our compatriots want to be governed by people with integrity, who will not steal or lie to them, and to live well," Bulgaria's head of state concluded.

He claimed that the current Parliament had to focus on pressing problems such as the reduction of electricity prices and the improvement of the social environment in its remaining days in office.

He claimed that the MPs had to adopt the Black Sea Coast Development Act, the Water Act, laws in the sphere of security, and the State Social Security Budget Law, as a priority.

Bulgaria's President went on to speak about the problems of young families and youth unemployment, infrastructure, the demographic crisis, and the healthcare reform.

Plevneliev, as cited by dnevnik.bg, argued that the next Parliament had to pay attention to what was happening in Bulgarian schools and what virtues and skills the children were being taught.

He emphasized that it was necessary to guarantee a competitive environment to improve the business climate and to support small and medium enterprises generating employment and incomes.

"People expect the truth from the President and it is that we do not have a magic wand to turn the people rich - it happens through investments and work and production, it is not a short process," he noted.

He stressed the importance of avoiding destabilization, adding that politicians had to take advantage of the historic opportunity to restore citizens' trust.

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Tags: Rosen Plevneliev, Bulgarian President, early elections, GERB government

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