President Radev: "I Officially Strip the Government of Confidence"

In an address to the nation on Tuesday, President Rumen Radev said he was stripping the Government of confidence.

He said: "As of today, I officially strip of confidence the Government, which is not acting in the interest of the Bulgarian citizens and is responsible for the acute political crisis of our society."

Radev said he had been urging the Government to work responsibly and effectively in the Bulgarians' interest for three years now, not as a political opponent but as head of State mindful and caring for Bulgaria's future. Regrettably, he said this had not happened.

"Today we are witnessing a grave governance crisis at all levels," said the President. "The lack of a will for reforms and for fighting corruption and squander, the systematic trampling
of the law and morality have paralysed entire social systems and institutions in a way unprecedented in the history of
Bulgaria's transition."

Radev said: "The residents of Pernik and whole villages in the region have been left without water, for which the Cabinet has refused to take political responsibility. Investigations by
foreign media and institutions have spotlighted imported waste scattered around the country and burnt in local power stations, poisoning our air and nature. Bulgaria is not a dump and no one has a right to jeopardize the Bulgarians' health so that a handful of State-protected businessmen can reap benefits."

"The Cabinet surreptitiously approved a reform of the currency board arrangement, whose meaning and grounds should have been clarified to the Bulgarians. Legislation is becoming hostage to lobbyist interests, while poverty and inequality are deepening. Even the national sovereignty has been traded off in the name of personal political survival. Institutions which are called upon to be independent and stand up for the law transgress it flagrantly, turning the law into an instrument of power. The State bodies take the liberty to intimidate differently-minded people and protestors. There is an organized encroachment on civil liberties," said Radev.

He said that the Government and its rule are causing a disintegration of statehood, robbing the nation of a future. "All this must be ended," he said.

"The divide now is not between Left and Right, the capital and the provinces, but between the iniquitous power-holders and the millions of honest Bulgarians. I stand with you in the fight to defend our rights," the President stated.

Concluding his address, Radev said: "Bulgaria's future is that of a free European country, whose citizens do not fear repression and put their trust in the law and morality. Let's unite in the name of justice and statehood, of the good of Bulgaria."

Source: BTA