BNT exclusive interview with new Prime Minister Denkov: The most urgent task for the new government is the drafting and adoption of the state budget

The most urgent task facing the new government is the drafting and adoption of the state budget, the new Prime Minister, Acad. Nikola Denkov told BNT on June 6th.

"We will withdraw the budget that was submitted previously, as the deficit is too large, we will prepare a new version of the budget in a short time and it will be submitted to the National Assembly for adoption before the summer recess, if there is one."

Military aid to Ukraine

Denkov categorically denied the rumours that Bulgaria is sending or planning to send soldiers to Ukraine and said that this is disinformation aimed at scaring people. There is a decision of the Parliament on the sending of military aid and so far it has not been discussed to change it.

"I expect that we will send military aid and I can't even understand whether it has been sent or not because the information has been quite contradictory so far. So it is the job of the defence minister to find out what has been happening. There are rumours being circulated on all sorts of topics, one of them is about sending soldiers, there is nothing true in that. The outgoing Defence Minister has refuted it categorically."

Reshuffles in the security services

The issue of the heads of the security services has been discussed clearly enough in recent days, Nikolai Denkov said. They have to serve Bulgaria and this does not mean that there should be a purge, but to look at who is doing their job. For the time being, the decisions on changes in the services will be within the National Assembly.

"There are problems with the services, one of them was said at the NA hearing - the information that there will be no war, presented a few days before it started, means that either they did not get information from the partner services because they did not trust them or they did not present the available information to the MPs."

The PM also pointed out that at the hearing in question the Head of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) had allowed himself political qualifications that went beyond his professional activity.

The formation of the government, negotiations with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)

This government exists because the GERB-UDF and the “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria” agreed that they could work together. For the reforms in the Constitution and some other tasks you need a 2/3 majority, so it is quite normal to talk with the MRF, Denkov said. He commented Delyan Peevski's vote in support of the government:

"I am embarrassed to the extent that he is included in Magnitsky Act sanctions list, but this is exactly why we want to do judicial reform, so that whoever has committed a crime does not hang between a case that has been started, not started or pending, but in a relatively short time can get justice."

Nikolai Denkov also commented on the attacks from the other parties in Parliament today.

"There were no surprises, it was clear to me and to my colleagues that on the one hand some parties are doing their election campaign, while for others it is probably a way to get noticed. We, who make up this government, are trying to set a working tone because there is an awful lot of work to do in the future."

Requests for lifting MP immunities

Regarding the requested immunities of Kiril Petkov and Boyko Borissov, the newly elected Prime Minister pointed out that for years no investigations have been conducted against the two, nor have any charges been brought.

"Seeking to lift their immunities at this point is obviously a political act in an attempt to block the formation of a regular government."

He said judicial reform and the procedure for early dismissal of Prosecutor General, Ivan Geshev, played a role in this process.

Supreme Judicial Council opens second procedure for early dismissal of Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev

Relations with the President

Nikolai Denkov expressed disappointment with Rumen Radev's behaviour and said it was not the President's job to recommend whether a mandate should be implemented or not.

"He has crossed the boundaries here. Some of the statements he made from Turkey, some of the statements he made today, are beyond the boundaries of institutional respect. (...) My appeal to the president personally, and to the institution, is to bury the tomahawks, forget these words that were said and start working together."

President Radev: Compromises for the formation of this government affect the foundations of democracy

Power handed over by the caretaker government

Another urgent task is to form the teams in the ministerial councils, as today's dismissal of the deputy ministers from the outgoing caretaker cabinet will hamper the work of the regular cabinet.

"I have not heard of any other case where all the deputy ministers, with one exception, have been sacked. This creates a problem because when a minister comes in, the work does not stop, there are many files, there is work in the directorates and this goes through the deputy ministers before it reaches the minister," Denkov said.

Caretaker government handed over power to the new government

He has asked for another meeting with former caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev to discuss what the main problems are in each sector, because this was not specified when power was handed over earlier today:

"Two days ago we reviewed the measures related to the Recovery Plan and it turned out that in some of the sectors, for example the energy sector, there has been no progress in recent months."