Radev: When DANS provides information that is not in the interest of the rulers, hysteria sets in – Politics – Bulgaria – NOVA News

“I want to congratulate the citizens who came out to vote. I also congratulate the new mayors and municipal councilors on their victory. Every new mayor comes with the expectation of changes for the better. It’s a big responsibility. The local government will have to deal with the consequences of the record-low voter turnout, which also entails reduced legitimacy.” President Rumen Radev said this to journalists on Monday.

Radev said that he will get acquainted with the arguments presented by Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, who demanded the release of DANS chairman Plamen Tonchev.

“The real motives have been known for a long time. We heard them on that recording, and they are aiming to take over the services. A power is strong by observing the law, not by positioning itself above it,” said Radev.

He pointed out that the DANS Law states on what grounds the chairman of the agency can be dismissed.

“Among them, there is no lack of confidence on the part of the Prime Minister. According to the prime minister’s logic, the government itself should immediately resign, because the vast majority of Bulgarians do not trust it. They don’t trust each other either, but they have held each other tightly for the sake of survival”, comments Radev.

Denkov demanded the release of the chairman of DANS

“I don’t think the elections should be used as some kind of scenario to have another attack on DANS until the scenario on the record happens. From the reasons presented by the Prime Minister in his statement on Friday evening, it rather left the impression that Plamen Tonchev’s resignation is being demanded not because he violated the law, but because he obeyed the law,” said Radev.

“I think that the government and the prime minister should first of all direct their attention to the actions of their own deputy minister of e-governance, where the sabotage of the election process actually originates,” the president also commented.

“The chairman of DANS is asked a question at a hearing in the parliament and he presents facts. Since when is telling the truth political talk? Also, some things in the Prime Minister’s statement are disturbing. For example, the fact that DANS must provide him with advance information about planned protests by energy workers. For me, this is a misunderstanding of the roles and tasks of DANS. We cannot expect that it will be an agency to fight and suppress just and justified social demands and protests. Also, that the DANS had to agree in advance the report of a documented violation by the Deputy Minister of e-Government. Does this mean that the Prime Minister wants to water down this report to a position that is advantageous to the ruling party? In my opinion, DANS should provide objective information, regardless of whether someone will not like it. This is the essence of the work of DANS. And let’s not forget that DANS is an information counterintelligence agency, it provided information. Interpreting this information by parties and speculating on it led to this scandal,” the president said.

“When DANS submits information about Russian spies, whether there are 1, 3 or 70 in total, it is accepted as absolutely pure coin, as truth with unreserved confidence. But when DANS provides information that is not in the interest of those in power, real hysteria sets in,” said Radev.