Bulgarian parliament tackles president's veto on APC supplies to Ukraine

The National Assembly of Bulgaria, on December 8, voted to override the veto imposed by President Rumen Radev on the agreement between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on the supply of Soviet-era armored personnel carriers (APCs) to Ukraine, ratified by parliament last month.

That’s according to The Sofia Globe, Ukrinform reports.

The motion to overrule the veto was accepted by 161 votes against 55.

Bulgaria's constitution grants the head of state limited veto power, allowing the president to refer laws back to the National Assembly for further discussion. In turn, the parliament can override the president's veto by a simple majority vote or accept the veto and revise the vetoed provisions.

Since taking office in January 2017, Radev has freely used this power, the publication notes, the latest veto being his 34th. The National Assembly overrode the veto in all but five cases.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov expressed confidence that the parliamentary majority would reject the veto imposed by President Radev on APC supplies to Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, the People's Assembly of Bulgaria at its meeting on Wednesday, November 22, ratified the agreement between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on the provision to Ukraine of a batch of armored personnel carriers, corresponding weapons, and spare parts.

Photo: sofiaglobe.com