Trifonov attacks Democratic Bulgaria’s Ivanov: Politics is a dirty game played by dirty people
A July 29 post on the official Facebook page of ITN party leader Slavi Trifonov slammed Democratic Bulgaria coalition co-leader Hristo Ivanov, accusing him of “blowing up” progress towards forming a government and of putting the country at risk of new elections.
In phrasing strikingly similar to that used by television scriptwriter and ITN parliamentary leader Toshko Yordanov earlier in the day, the post on Trifonov’s page said: “The fast-paced events of the past two days do show that politics is a dirty game, but the dirty game only exists because it is played by dirty people”.
ITN has been in talks with all other parliamentary groups except Boiko Borissov’s GERB-UDF coalition on policies to be followed by a government nominated by Trifonov’s party, which won the largest share of seats in the July 11 early parliamentary elections and thus is entitled to the first turn at trying to get a government elected.
On July 28, Democratic Bulgaria and Maya Manolova’s parliamentary group, in a co-ordinated move, raised the stakes by setting conditions and demands regarding the process, including a demand that ITN makes public the names of its proposed cabinet ministers.
The post on Trifonov’s page said that ITN had done everything necessary to have talks with all political parties, except for GERB, in front of journalists and in front of the public.
“Subsequently, there were expert meetings in sectors without MRF (the Movement for Rights and Freedoms) and GERB. I will say it once again – without MRF and GERB,” the post said.
“And just at the moment when these talks are continuing, without MRF and GERB, at the very moment when it is possible to have an agreement, an agreement is reached, including on the so-called judicial reform, an opportunity is created to have a government and peace in the country, it was at this moment that Hristo Ivanov decided to blow up the situation and question what had been achieved so far and force the country towards new elections,” it said.
The text said that ITN and Democratic Bulgaria equally believed that deep judicial reform is needed, because of the influence of the MRF and GERB.
“We and Democratic Bulgaria equally believe that the special court and the special prosecutor’s office should be closed because of their desecration by the MRF and GERB.
“We and Democratic Bulgaria equally believe that the chair of the Prosecutor-General is too large, due to the influence of the MRF,” the post said. Several days ago, Trifonov said that the chair of Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev was too large for Geshev.
“And now with these actions Hristo Ivanov can stop these changes. I ask: Who is the MRF then?” the post said.
“Why is he doing this? I have no idea. I can only guess, and I have already said, and in general I am the kind of person that relies on facts, not divinations. The fact is that if common sense does not return and they do not remember who the main enemy is, there will be early elections and it will be their fault.”
Subsequent to the post on Trifonov’s page, Ivanov responded via the Bulgarian-language media that politics indeed can be a dirty business, especially if you don’t know what on earth you’re doing.
Please support independent journalism by clicking on the orange button below. For as little as three euro a month or the equivalent in other currencies, you can support The Sofia Globe via patreon.com:
