Политика

At the request of 10 councillors, the Municipal Council met for an emergency meeting on December 9. The agenda included 2 points: a re-vote of those challenged by St. Dulev decisions on his removal and election of a new interim mayor. The councillors sat in a hall packed with people chanting "Uh-oh-oh", "Resignation", "We chose you, we'll take you down" plus a bunch of obscene comments. Alexander Daskalov read a declaration on behalf of the majority of councillors that it is high time the situation in the surrounding area to normalize. The declaration was sent by the multitude with cries of "Haiduz! We have a mayor, we don't want another!" and insults to the councilman.
On behalf of the Green Party, Vladimir Gushevilov announced that the meeting was convened in violation of Art. 42 of the LMSMA and the Rules, the 3-day deadline has not been met, there are no agendas and draft decisions and therefore they will not participate in the work of the session.
If the Municipal Council elects one of the two deputy mayors (Recep Hodzhov or the one appointed on December 6 Sonya Chavdarova), I cancel all complaints and leave, announced Stoyan Dulev.
All attempts by councillors to speak on the subject were frustrated by the incessant shouting and chanting in the hall. This forced the session to continue as closed in the small hall on the second floor, under police guard. Journalists were admitted to the meeting and a full recording was made by municipal radio officials. By 18 votes in favour and 3 abstentions, the Municipal Council confirmed decision 349 to remove Stoyan Dulev from the post of interim mayor and 350 to unelect Recep Hodzhov to the same post. A new decision was voted by which by decision 349 the local parliament allowed preliminary implementation.
A dispute has arisen over whether the councillors should put the candidacy of the new Deputy Mayor Sonia Chavdarova to the vote. Ekaterina Kaferinova put forward consistent arguments with lawyers that when Mr. Dulev appointed Ms. Chavdarova to the post, his powers as interim mayor had already been terminated. S. Chavdarova was appointed with circumvention of the law, and there is an obvious conflict of interest, as she is also in labor-legal relations with the removed mayor F. Beev. The councillor stressed that in art. 42 of the LMSMA writes that the Municipal Council elects an interim mayor - that is, the election is not limited to the deputy mayors.
The functions of mayor are performed until the decision comes into force and as such I have the right to appoint, answered Stoyan Dulev. Zavarin Marov called on the councillors to vote on the candidacy of Mrs. Chavdarova. In the ensuing vote, it was not supported by any of those present, 13 were against, and 8 abstained.
Mrs. Boryana Belukhova suggested that Atanas Vodev, a councillor from NDSV, be elected as interim mayor. The proposal was adopted unanimously by the 21 municipal councillors participating in the meeting. In the text of the decision it was written that preliminary execution is allowed on the grounds of art. 23, para. 3 of the ZAP. A commission was also elected for acceptance and transmission of the attributes of power: Atanaska Hrischeva - chairman, Mikhail Alexiev, Asim Adem, Dimitar Kasapsky and Recep Sidzhim.
At the end of the meeting Atanas Vodev took the mayoral oath. At the ensuing press conference, he said he would be on official leave from his job as director of the Bureau of Labor. "We rely on goodwill, no one has said that this is a coup, secretly and collusively, as they try to present the situation in the municipality. I hope that through the support of the Municipal Council, the Municipal Administration and the non-governmental organizations, we will do in short terms what, according to everyone, was not done in Velingrad: an accessible model of governance and regional development programs," said the newly elected interim mayor.
Chairman N. Kehayov stressed that the meeting was absolutely legally convened, all deadlines were met. The municipal council will work much more responsibly in the extreme situation in which the municipality is located and, without mixing meetings with an election campaign, will hold meetings. By the end of the working day on Friday, the newly elected interim mayor had failed to take office. On Thursday afternoon Mr. Dulev did not appear in the municipality at all, and on Friday morning his supporters blocked the building and Mr. Vodev's entry and the commission was impossible. The same day, the District Court issued rulings suspending the preliminary implementation of the two decisions of the Municipal Council. On Friday, the definitions had not entered into legal force, which did not prevent Stoyan Dulev from triumphantly returning to the mayoral post. A development is expected this week, the final of which will again depend on the judicial authorities.
Elena Baeva