Bulgaria’s coalition partners continue talks on possible government formation
A further round of consultations began in Parliament in Sofia on December 20 among the Reformist Bloc, GERB and the nationalist Patriotic Front, with a key point being the choice of Prime Minister-designate in a possible government.
Participants in the talks so far have said that the proposed head of government would be from the Reformist Bloc, holder of the third and final exploratory mandate to try to form a government.
The December 20 talks were attended by GERB parliamentary group leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov (GERB), the Reformist Bloc’s Naiden Zelenogorski and PF co-leader Krassimir Karakachanov.
It is possible that some of the ministers of the proposed new cabinet would come from Boiko Borissov’s GERB party.
The deputy leader of the Reformist Bloc’s parliamentary group, Borislav Velikov, said on December 20 that the bloc had discussed three names as a possible candidate Prime Minister – Union of Democratic Forces deputy leader Roumen Hristov, Zelenogorski, and Health Minister Petar Moskov.
The deadline for the Reformist Bloc to respond to President Rossen Plevneliev, who handed them the exploratory mandate on December 14, is pressing.
The bloc should either return the mandate or inform the President that they have a candidate PM.
Bulgaria’s National Assembly, to which a Cabinet would have to be presented for approval, is scheduled to begin its Christmas recess on December 23.
Should the participants in the talks succeed in agreement on policy issues important to them individually, and agree on a candidate to head the government, the combination of GERB, the Reformist Bloc (minus the opposition Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria and the bloc’s civil council MPs), the PF, Volen Siderov’s Ataka and the minority Bulgarian Democratic Centre would be able to muster about 140 votes in Bulgaria’s 240-seat legislature, sufficient to vote an administration into office.
(Photo: (c) Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
/Politics
