Bulgarian Parliament overrides President's veto, approves armored carriers for Ukraine
The Bulgarian parliament overcame the president's veto on transferring armored personnel carriers to Ukraine (Photo: Getty Images)
The National Assembly of Bulgaria (parliament) today, December 8, overturned President Roumen Radev's veto on the agreement to provide Ukraine with armored personnel carriers free of charge, according to The Sofia Globe newspaper.
Bulgarian deputies, in their vote, overturned the presidential ban on the ratification of the agreement between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the supply of old armored personnel carriers (APCs) by Sofia, which was approved by parliament last month.
The agreement stipulates that Bulgaria will supply armored vehicles and weapons, as well as spare parts for various equipment, and all surplus items to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The equipment was purchased in the 1980s by the country's then-communist regime and has been in conservation for decades.
The proposal to lift the veto was adopted with 161 votes "for" and 55 "against."
Presidential veto in Bulgaria
The Bulgarian Constitution grants the head of state limited veto power, allowing the president to return bills to the National Assembly for further discussion.
Parliament can override the president's veto by a simple majority vote or accept the veto and review the articles on which the veto was imposed. Since taking office in January 2017, Radev has extensively used this option, with this being his 34th veto.
Background
This week, Bulgarian President Radev vetoed the agreement on the free provision of armored vehicles to Ukraine. He explained his decision by stating that the deputies did not properly consider alternative options for using the equipment, which could have been transferred to the Border Police or firefighters under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The veto sparked strong condemnation from parliamentary groups supporting Prime Minister Mykola Denkov's cabinet. On December 4, he stated that parliament would override this veto.
Earlier, the Bulgarian parliament ratified an agreement to supply armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
On December 7, the Defense Committee of the Bulgarian parliament approved the provision of defective anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, as well as assistance in training pilots on F-16s.
