GERB, United Patriots start talks on coalition government posts
Boiko Borissov’s GERB and the nationalist United Patriots started formal negotiations on April 28 on the composition of their coalition cabinet that they will propose to the National Assembly.
As was announced on April 27, the GERB-United Patriots coalition government will have, apart from the prime minister – a post to be occupied by Borissov – four deputy prime ministers and 17 ministers.
The formula for the distribution of the posts in government will be recorded in an additional annex to the previously-announced agreement.
The distribution is expected to be determined by the proportions of the parliamentary representation of the political parties involved in the agreement.
It is possible that some of the ministers will come from neither of the two political forces, as “external experts” but their appointments will have to be approved by both sides.
Coalition decisions will be taken after consensus by a six-member political council – three from GERB and three from the United Patriots. When consensus cannot be reached, all mechanisms for dialogue and negotiation will be used, the agreement says.
Current plans are for the proposed cabinet to be announced on May 3 and the vote on it to take place in Parliament the following day. On April 27, President Roumen Radev handed Borissov a mandate to seek to form a government, which the constitution rules that Borissov has seven days to do.
/Politics
