Bulgarian President urges National Security Council to Prevent Destabilization

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has sent a message for preventing the destabilization of the Bulgarian state amidst the ongoing protests against power utilities and corruption in the wake of the resignation of the Borisov Cabinet.

“The government, even though it has resigned, bears full responsibility for the situation until a new Cabinet is appointed. We will be seeking a consensus for overcoming this crisis,” the President stated during the meeting of Bulgaria’s Consultative National Security Council on Tuesday.

“We have several main goals: preventing anybody from exploiting the social tensions for political or corporate purposes, giving quick answers, ensuring the sustainable functioning of the functions,” Plevneliev said further.

Even though the process has not been completed yet, he did make clear his expectation that all parliamentary parties will give up their right to form a government, and that a caretaker one will be formed.

He therefore urged the parties to work in Parliament for the adoption of the most urgent pieces of legislation until the Parliament is adjourned.

“I expect the members of the Consultative National Security Council to approach responsibly the measures that need to be adopted by the state and the political parties for tackling the gravest problems,” the President said before the body which includes key state officials as well as leaders of opposition parliamentary groups.

He urged the political parties to consider the risk for Bulgaria as a country, and to assess the national security risks together with the members of the executive.

“The demands of the protesters are escalating. They have deep mistrust for the political parties. They are against the high electricity bills, monopolies, corruption. About 150 000 staged demonstrations in over 40 cities around Bulgaria,” Plevneliev summed up the situation with the protests.

“We must not allow the destabilization of the state and institutional fundamentals. We must act responsibly. The situation in all of Europe is politically, economically, and financially complicated. Each nation has its specifics but the economic perspectives in Europe are not good,” he added.

In his words, the resigning government must not allow a new escalation  of tensions and must meet its commitments – immediate inspections of the power utilities and the state watchdog DKEVR, publication of the signed contacts with the utilities, and reducing the electricity price by 8% as of April 1, 2013.