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Through Stefan Yanev, President Rumen Radev will also control military deals. PHOTO: 24 hours
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Rumen Radev retains control over the special services
Kiril Petkov with ambition for a 4-year term, but Hristo Ivanov spoke about watershed of local elections in the fall of 2023
Structural changes cut key resources from the BSP and ITN
President Rumen Radev, accused by GERB of being the fifth coalition partner in the new government, retains control of the power ministries and special services for now. Despite the desire of the co-chairman of “Democratic Bulgaria” in the services to make changes that will give more control in the hands of the ruling coalition.
This became clear after Kiril Petkov and Asen Vassilev announced the final version of the government on Saturday. The composition and structure of the coalition cabinet of “We continue the change” must be voted by deputies at 1 pm on December 13.
Three of the ministers in the new government are linked to Rumen Radev.
The head of the Ministry of Interior remains the caretaker Minister Boyko Rashkov, announced the candidate for Prime Minister Kiril Petkov.
Rashkov was nominated by Radev in both caretaker governments
this year, and as deputy prime minister he pushed for a complete change of special services chiefs. Plovdiv police officer Petko Todorov, considered part of the circle of presidential secretary Plamen Uzunov, who is also from Plovdiv, became chief secretary of the Interior Ministry. Plamen Tonchev, Antoan Gechev and Biser Borisov were appointed to SANS, the intelligence and the Technical Operations Agency.
The transfer of the caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev to the post of Minister of Defense in the cabinet of “We continue the change” is also considered a presidential appointment. Yanev, who is a former general as president, headed this department in Ognyan Gerdzhikov’s cabinet in 2017, and then became the head of state’s security secretary. And he is considered one of his most loyal collaborators. It was Yanev who pushed through in 2017 the decision to buy Gripen fighters, which was later revoked by GERB and the Patriots and a deal was concluded with the United States for the F-16.
The third person considered Radev’s man in the government is Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska. She was an expert in the presidential administration until the summer of this year, when she was nominated for defense minister in the government “There are such people”. And in the new cabinet Genchovska is formally from the quota of ITN, while Rashkov and Yanev are nominated by “We continue the change”.
Last week, the co-chair of Democratic Bulgaria, Atanas Atanasov, demanded that the heads of services be replaced by a regular government, starting with Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Petko Todorov. However, for the changes to take place, the president’s consent is needed to release some of the power in the law enforcement agencies. On Saturday, Interior Minister-designate Boyko Rashkov declined to comment on the coalition partner’s demands to replace at least Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Petko Todorov.
As early as Saturday, GERB leader Boyko Borisov accused Radev of maintaining full control over the services. “Radev holds the whole repressive machine – this government is totally controlled by Radev. The president has seven ministers. All they have to do is erase GERB, everything else is completely usurped, “the former prime minister commented.
Relations remain in the President’s portfolio
with the United States and Russia, it became clear later this week. Bulgaria’s new ambassador to Washington is caretaker Defense Minister Georgi Panayotov, Stefan Yanev’s government decided last Wednesday. In Moscow, the ambassador is Radev’s former adviser Atanas Krastin.
BSP and ITN are the big losers from the structure of the new
government, observers commented on Sunday.
The Socialists caused a scandal on Friday with their election as Minister of Agriculture, with MP Ivan Ivanov nominated for the post. His name is linked to a scandal during Plamen Oresharski’s cabinet, when Ivanov was first appointed deputy interior minister and fired two hours later for publishing that he worked for a company of the former PEC force.
However, some of the most resource directorates and agencies have actually been removed from Ivanov’s portfolio. He lost the food agency, the forestry agency and the management of EU agricultural funds.
The post of Cornelia Ninova has also been cut short compared to the original intentions. The Socialist leader will be Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Industry.
However, departments such as BDB, Sofia Tech Park, the investment agency have been removed from its powers, which are being transferred to the new Minister of Innovation Daniel Lorer from “We continue the change”.
There are also cuts in the departments of the Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Minister
Grozdan Karadzhov, who lost the cadastre and GRAO, who passed to the Deputy Prime Minister for Effective Governance Kalina Konstantinova from “We continue the change”.
The ambition for a full 4-year term of the government was announced on Saturday by the candidate for prime minister Kiril Petkov.
However, the real life of the government could be about 2 years, it became clear from an interview with the co-chairman of “Democratic Bulgaria” Hristo Ivanov to the Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday. The emerging quadruple government will be transitional, and after the local elections in the autumn of 2023 the new political landscape will be formed, Ivanov explained.
“It will be a construction – an exception, a bridge between the era of Boyko Borissov and the new political construction. The main feature of this government is that it is the first after Boyko Borissov. It remains to be seen what the new political landscape will be. That is why I am talking about a transitional character. It can be seen after the local elections “, Hristo Ivanov explained his thesis.
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