President Plevneliev Says Will Not Review Ex-Vice President’s Decrees before Court Ruling on Their Legitimacy
President Rosen Plevneliev said that the presidency will not review the ordinances of former vice president Angel Marin to grant Bulgarian nationality to foreigners and to pardon convicts before the court comes up with a ruling on their legitimacy.
"Now that the matter has been referred to the competent court, the best thing to do is wait. [...] It is the competent authorities' turn to act now, and they will say what they have to say shortly," state-run Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) quoted Plevneliev as saying.
The issue over the legitimacy of Marin's ordinances was raised when it emerged that Plevneliev's predecessor Georgi Purvanov had not formally decreed Marin's powers to grant Bulgarian nationality to foreigners and to pardon convicts for his second term. Purvanov and his legal advisers claim there was no need for a new decree establishing Marin's powers for his second vice-presidential term between 2007 and 2012.
Marin's decisions were not taken unilaterally but were coordinated with a series of institutions, the justice ministry included, Plevneliev said, as quoted by the state-run Bulgarian National Radio.