GERB-UDF’s Zhelyazkov presents proposed government to President Radev
At a ceremony on January 15, GERB-UDF’s Rossen Zhelyazkov accepted from President Roumen Radev a mandate to seek to get a government elected, and immediately presented a proposed cabinet.
Bulgaria’s constitution entitles Parliament’s largest group to be the first to receive a mandate to seek to form a government, and in the case of the October 2024 early parliamentary elections, Boiko Borissov’s GERB-UDF emerged with the largest share of seats in the 51st National Assembly.
The cabinet proposed by Zhelyazkov, in which he is the candidate Prime Minister, is the result of agreement between GERB-UDF, the Bulgarian Socialist Party – United Left and populist ITN – with all three of these groups holding shares of cabinet seats – and has the support of the Ahmed Dogan loyalists of the Democracy, Rights and Freedoms parliamentary group.
Radev told Zhelyazkov at the January 15 ceremony that he would the same day send the proposed cabinet to Parliament for a vote.
Zhelyazkov told Radev: “We appreciate the time you gave us (for negotiations). It was not wasted”.
Zhelyazkov said that nothing good had resulted from Bulgaria going from one election to another in recent years and the consultations that GERB-UDF had held were aimed at seeking “a broader agreement”.
“We made the necessary compromises. In politics, the ability to compromise is more valuable. The big political compromise is that I am in this place, not our leader Boiko Borissov,” he said.
He said that GERB-UDF had not accepted the formula for an “equidistant” Prime Minister, a reference to the demand from reformists We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria.
Earlier, negotiations involving the Democratic Bulgaria component of WCC-DB were broken off, and if the proposed Zhelyazkov cabinet is voted into office, WCC-DB will be among opposition groups.
Zhelyazkov said that the formula was for a “broad parliamentary majority”.
“It reflects the art of the maximum possible and enables the country to have a government that will address the problems facing the country – absorption of EU resources, better governance in the name of justice and better functioning of state institutions,” he said.
“The government will seek broad institutional agreement, we will seek partnership in your person to restore good governance in Bulgaria. Within a month, we will also present a goverance programme,” Zhelyazkov said.
The proposed cabinet has three deputy prime ministers, one each from GERB-UDF, BSP – United Left and ITN.
The proposed cabinet is:
Prime Minister – Rossen Zhelyazkov
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth – Tomislav Donchev
Deputy Prime Minister – Atanas Zafirov
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Transport and Communications – Grozdan Karadzhov
Minister of Finance – Temenuzhka Petkova
Minister of Interior – Daniel Mitov
Minister of Regional Development and Public Works – Ivan Ivanov
Minister of Labour and Social Policy – Borislav Gutsanov
Minister of Defence – Atanas Zapryanov
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Georg Georgiev
Minister of Justice – Georgi Georgiev
Minister of Education and Science – Krassimir Valchev
Minister of Health – Silvi Kirilov
Minister of Culture – Mariyan Bachev
Minister of Environment and Water – Manol Genov
Minister of Agriculture and Food – Georgi Tahov
Minister of Economy and Industry – Petar Dilov
Minister of Energy – Zhecho Stankov
Minister of Electronic Governance – Valentin Mundrov
Minister of Tourism – Miroslav Borshosh
Minister of Youth and Sport – Ivan Peshev
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