Bulgaria’s July elections: Trifonov does not want to form a government, Borissov says
The statement on the morning of July 12 by ITN leader Slavi Trifonov about the cabinet that he is unilaterally proposing shows that he does not want to have a government, according to GERB leader Boiko Borissov.
Borissov was speaking in the late afternoon, after, with ballots from 98.9 per cent of all voting precincts tallied, Central Election Commission figures showed ITN as having received 23.9 per cent of the votes and Borissov’s GERB-UDF coalition 23.7 per cent in Bulgaria’s July 11 early parliamentary elections.
Borissov derided Trifonov’s statement on the proposed government as an attempt to deceive the public.
“In the coming days, we will see which party will behave like a loose woman and support Trifonov’s government,” Borissov scoffed.
Initially, Borissov said that his party would return a mandate to form a government – if the election results are confirmed, it would be second in the queue to do so, after Trifonov’s party – but then said that he would, indicating that he would again nominate Daniel Mitov as Prime Minister, as he did after the April elections.
Borissov said that the scenario behind Trifonov’s announcement was for the caretaker government appointed by President Roumen Radev to remain in place.
The GERB leader repeated his allegation that his party’s supporters had been repressed during the election campaign.
“Democracy is gone, there is a boot on our heads…it is good that we are alive amid this terror,” Borissov said.
He again called into question the legitimacy of the voting machine process, pointing to what he said had happened regarding Krassen Kralev, a former cabinet minister who was an election candidate.
“In the voting section of Krassen Kralev, there was only one preferential vote for him – his mother and father will kill each other, they swear that they both voted for him,” Borissov said.
He was derisive about the proposed government representing “new faces”, pointing to Nikolai Vassilev, named by Trifonov as his Prime Minister-designate. Vassilev was a deputy prime minister in two previous governments.
Borissov said that the return of people from Simeon Saxe-Coburg’s party was “not accidental”.
“These are economic circles, I know them and that is why I am a little sad,” he said.
Borissov did not say whether he would take up the seat to which he has been elected in the 46th National Assembly.
Asked whether Trifonov could take political responsibility for running the country, Borissov said: “Slavi Trifonov is nothing and will wash his hands of the people in his proposed cabinet”.
He poked fun at Trifonov having listed among the proposed government’s priorities pushing for two Bulgarians and a North Macedonian to become astronauts. That would result in Star Wars, Borissov said.
(Photo of Borissov voting on July 11 via his Facebook page)
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