13862 | 11 May 2025 | 17:14
Deutsche Welle
Is Radev an agent of his own stupidity and sick ambitions, or of a foreign force - it's not entirely clear. The president has himself been impeached from history as a saboteur of European Bulgaria and a destabilizer of the country.
President Rumen Radev deliberately violates the Constitution and carries out a state coup with his request for a referendum on the euro - both of which are grounds for impeachment according to our basic law. If he is eventually removed from office, his goal is to become a victim, successfully catapulting himself into the party-political field and heading an anti-European and pro-Russian political alliance.
Why:
Malicious Violation of the Constitution
President Radev not only knowingly, but with malicious intent violates the Constitution of Bulgaria with his proposal for a referendum on the euro, because he knows very well that it is unconstitutional - even his legal secretary, Krum Zarkov, resigned on this basis. During the consultations for the formation of the government in the 48th Parliament, at the meeting with the parliamentary group of "Revival" on November 9, 2022, he not only categorically refused to call a referendum on the euro (with their idea for it to be postponed until 2043), but also provided strong arguments for it.
President Radev addressed Kostadin Kostadinov and his colleagues with the following statement: "According to the Law on Direct Participation of Citizens in State Power and Local Self-Government, the holding of a referendum on issues regulated by already adopted and ratified international treaties is impossible. There are also limitations in the Constitution. It is also clear from international law that international treaties take precedence when they have been ratified by national legislation, especially when it comes to the European Union. European law has full primacy over our national law."
When Kostadinov stressed that the euro should be introduced only when we reach 90% of the incomes in the EU and until then we should keep the lev, Radev advised "Revival" to monitor how the plan for the Maastricht criteria is being implemented and what the state of the eurozone will be in order to achieve better parameters. "But it is important for us to strive for meeting these criteria, as they are good for the Bulgarian economy and for Bulgarian citizens," said the president, acknowledging that joining the eurozone is a desired national goal and the steps towards it are inevitable according to our agreement for euro membership.
We can only give up the euro if we leave the EU.
After "Revival" failed to call a referendum through parliament to postpone the adoption of the euro until 2043, together with TISP they tried to challenge before the Constitutional Court the National Assembly's rejection on July 7, 2023 for such a nationwide consultation. In its decision of February 8, 2024, the CC ruled (with only one dissenting vote) that the rejection was lawful and provided detailed explanations as to why this referendum is unconstitutional. According to the court, the adoption of the euro is a "preliminary and binding condition" for a country that has signed the accession treaty to the EU. And based on the terminology of the Bulgarian National Bank, that euro integration, including until the adoption of the euro, represents "evolutionary development", it clearly states that Bulgaria cannot unilaterally choose the date to enter the eurozone. She was able to delay for a certain time while in the "waiting room" (the exchange rate mechanism ERMII), but only with a view to progress until the criteria for joining the euro are met. The decision for the date of joining the euro cannot be taken unilaterally, it can only be taken by the EU institutions after the fulfillment of the convergence criteria, with the final word being given by the EU Council.
The President is well aware of this decision of the Constitutional Court. Just two months ago, on March 13, during a meeting with students at the University of Plovdiv, he clearly stated that he cannot violate the Constitution by signing a decree for a referendum, and that by signing the EU accession treaty, we have committed to adopt the euro. However, the President is deliberately violating the Constitution by proposing essentially the same question for a referendum as "Revival", but with a formulating for postponing it for at least 1 year (unknown how long exactly), instead of 20 years. And in doing so, he misleads citizens that the result of the referendum would lead to valid legal consequences, when it is impossible for Bulgaria alone to unilaterally revise its EU membership. In other words, we can only legitimately give up the euro if we decide to leave the EU. And Radev and his accomplices do not want that. He cynically demonstrates it on Europe Day, not by chance.
State overthrow through the collapse of democracy in favor of Putin.
The presidential rhetoric was directed towards the institutions suffering from low public trust, which is why Radev addressed his speech not only to the people and the National Assembly, but without speaking from the podium of parliament. He imposes on direct democracy, seeking a healing effect for the representative. In the same decision, however, the Constitutional Court reminds that according to our Constitution, these two forms of exercising state power are of equal rank, but both are based on the supremacy of law, at the top of which is the constitution itself. By violating it, however, Rumen Radev effectively carries out a state overthrow, undermining both sources of sovereignty - direct and representative democracy.
It remains to be proven that his initiative is also inspired by an external force to show a complete change of state in legal terms. But even on a political level, it is clear which external force benefits from Bulgaria stopping its euro integration. And this happens at a time when the geopolitical order is completely shaken and the EU is attempting to consolidate. And just two months before the convergence report and the expected positive decisions for our accession to the eurozone in 2026. It is obvious that Putin's Russia, following Orban's Hungary and Fico's Slovakia, is seeking to bring Radev's Bulgaria into its imperial orbit of satellites. And ultimately to stop its development.
Who wants impeachment
There are serious grounds for the impeachment of the President, but it requires 160 votes in Parliament. The maximum possible majority for his removal is 150 votes - from the votes of GERB, CC-DB, MRF - New Beginning and DRF- MRF - the formations that have firmly declared their support for the eurozone. "Revival", "Greatness" and MUH, as well as the coalition partner in the government - TISP, are categorically in favor of the referendum. BSP and MRF of Dogan have not yet expressed their opinion on the initiative of Radev, but it cannot be expected that they will support impeachment, whether they vote against the referendum or do not participate in the voting for electoral reasons.
With his move for the referendum, Radev is sending a message that he is entering the political arena, aiming not only to unite anti-European parliamentary forces, but also citizens who are either against the Euro, or just fear and hesitate. The manipulation that the Euro can be postponed, and otherwise we are not against its introduction, is the same as the one that peace will come if Ukraine stops being given weapons. If Radev and Kostadinov want an honest fight against the Euro, they should simply stand behind the position that we need to raise inflation and the budget deficit and then we can certainly be out of the eurozone for as long as we want. If they honestly want peace in Ukraine, they can at least call on the Russian aggressor to withdraw from its territory, instead of saying that the West is fueling the war with its aid. But people like Radev and Kostadinov neither seek solutions, nor want to take responsibility for them.
Radev impeached himself from the Bulgarian history.
After the rejection of the referendum in parliament, which usually requires a majority, it is much more advantageous for Radev to face impeachment in order to portray himself as a victim of party-political games. However, there is no prospect of such a large majority and it is not wise to do him such a favor. It would be better for him to resign on his own, as this is the next necessary step after his initiative - otherwise he will miss the opportunity and will have to finish his term with heavy reputational losses. Radev's move, however, serves both GERB and CC-DB, as it opens up the possibility for a governing partnership between them - the threat to the country's European future can become the basis for a similar alliance to what the war in Ukraine was.
Is he an agent of his own foolishness and sick ambitions or of foreign will, or perhaps both, is not entirely clear. The fact is that President Radev is already impeached from history as the last saboteur of European Bulgaria and destabilizer of the country in a time of escalating global uncertainty.
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