Interior Ministry Chief Secretary
to Be Appointed by Presidential
Decree on Cabinet's Proposal


Sofia, February 11 (BTA) - The chief secretary of the Interior
Ministry will be appointed by presidential decree on a Council
of Ministers' proposal, Parliament decided on Wednesday by
adopting on second reading amendments to the Interior Ministry
Act.

The newly adopted revisions amend the provisions adopted by the
previous National Assembly, which read that the Interior
Ministry's chief secretary is appointed by the Council of
Ministers on the Interior Minister's proposal for a five-year
term.

A person can be appointed Interior Ministry chief secretary or
deputy chief secretary if he or she meets the requirements for
civil service under the Interior Ministry Act and has worked for
at least ten years in the security services or the public order
services, of which at least five years at a managerial
position, the newly adopted amendments read.

Parliament also decided that the Interior Ministry will have an
administrative secretary, who will assist the Interior Minister
in the implementation of his functions by planning, organising
and controlling: the subsidiary activities at the ministry, the
elaboration and implementation of measures for preventing
conflicts of interest and conditions for corruption, and the
interaction with other state institutions, nongovernmental
organisations and trade unions.

Chetin Kazak MP of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms asked
whether the administrative secretary is not a type of "party
secretary" in the Interior Ministry's system.

Deputy Interior Minister Krassimir Tsipov said that the idea
behind the creation of this position is related to the
implementation of administrative activities. He explained that
the administrative secretary will deal with the Interior
Ministry's employees who have the status of civil servants.

PK/DS


/ДЛ/