Bulgaria’s GERB returns mandate to form government
GERB leader Boiko Borissov has returned the mandate to form Bulgaria’s next government on May 23, once again slamming his political opponents for “shameful tricks” and “behind-the-curtains games”.
Borissov’s party got the largest share of votes in Bulgaria’s May 12 parliamentary elections, but short of an outright majority and has been left unable to form a government in the face of opposition from the other three parties elected.
Borissov said earlier that he intended to use the full period granted by law, one week, to present a minority government in Parliament, even if the odds of it winning investiture were nil. He recanted in recent days, but did not tone down the vitriol in his remarks towards his political opponents – the socialists and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).
Speaking during his meeting with President Rossen Plevneliev, Borissov said that he had promised voters not to enter into “unprincipled coalitions”, which is what his political opponents were doing.
“I’m ashamed of the leader of European socialists and the leader of the MRF for their elementary tricks and games to form a government. They were proud, knowing that they had agreed the set-up with Ataka,” Borissov said.
“I would have given them one vote, if only to avoid embarrassment in Europe. You saw how all ambassadors demonstratively left Parliament when Volen Siderov and Ataka sat [during the EU anthem] in Parliament. This is a strong blow in Europe and a shame for [socialist leader Sergei] Stanishev and [MRF leader Lyutvi] Mestan,” he said.
Borissov presented the government line-up that he planned to submit to Parliament – repeating to a large extent the composition of the Cabinet at the point that Borissov resigned in February, but missing several of its mainstays.
The omissions of Tsvetan Tsvetanov and Miroslav Naidenov – both under investigation by prosecutors, the former on suspicion of presiding over illegal eavesdropping of a number of senior state and political leaders, while the latter faces charges of corruption and abuse of power – were announced earlier. Tsvetanov’s former portfolio at the Interior Ministry would have been taken over by his former deputy Vesselin Vuchkov and the Naidenov’s agriculture portfolio would have gone to Dessislava Taneva.
Finance minister Simeon Dyankov, set to be sacked just days before Borissov’s resignation, would have been replaced by his former deputy minister, Vladislav Goranov.
The cabinet would have featured two deputy prime ministers, both returning to their jobs – Lilyana Pavlova as regional development minister and Tomislav Donchev as EU funds minister. Other key ministers that would have resumed their portfolios included Delyan Dobrev (economy and tourism), Nikolai Mladenov (foreign affairs), Anyu Angelov (defence), Diana Kovacheva (justice), Ivailo Moskovski (transport) and Totyu Mladenov (labour and social policy).
The cabinet would have had two new portfolios – energy, which would have been split from the economy ministry, with Dimitar Glavchev assuming the portfolio and a newly-created portfolio for e-government, to be taken by Dobroslav Dimitrov.
(GERB leader Boiko Borissov, left and President Rossen Plevneliev. Photo: president.bg)
