Bulgaria’s National Assembly voted on November 6 to overturn President Roumen Radev’s veto on Investment Promotion Act amendments that provide that the Lukoil refinery in Bourgas and the company’s subsidiaries may be sold only after clearance from the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the Cabinet, APA reports, citing The Sofia Globe.
There were 125 votes in favour of overriding the veto, 74 opposed, and no abstentions.
Parliament moved unusually swiftly to override Radev’s veto, which was only imposed a day earlier, holding a special sitting of the energy committee to discuss the presidential decree earlier on November 6 and amending its order paper to put the motion to overturn the veto on its schedule on the same day.
Radev vetoed the bill arguing that it would put the Cabinet in a “functional and operational dependence” to SANS, insofar as any decision on the sale of Lukoil assets is concerned, despite the agency being a subordinate one to the Council of Ministers.
Bulgaria’s constitution grants the head of state a limited power of veto, through enabling the President to return legislation to the National Assembly for further discussion.
The National Assembly may overturn the President’s veto through a simple majority vote or accept the veto and review the vetoed clauses. Since taking office in January 2017, Radev made liberal use of the power and this was his 44th vetoed bill.
The National Assembly overturned the veto on all but eight occasions – seven times the veto was accepted by MPs and, in the other case, the government coalition at the time failed to muster the support needed to overturn it.
