„The refusal of „Democratic Bulgaria“ /DB/ to meet us means that they do not want to have a regular cabinet and that they want us to go to elections. Worse, they don’t want us to start changing the model that thousands of citizens stood in the streets and demanded.“
This is what BSP leader Korneliya Ninova said during a briefing in Parliament after the DB announced earlier today that they would not go to the consultations for the third mandate. In her words, by refusing to go to the meeting, they also refused to talk about the budget update.
„By their actions, they risk leaving pensioners without recalculated pensions, doctors and medics without help for the COVID crisis, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense without help for border protection, the economy without help for measures, etc.„
Ninova suggested that there is a disagreement between the DB members because yesterday one of them commented that they would go to the consultations and today they said they would not. She also believes that the DB have failed the negotiations with „There Is Such A People“ (TISP) political party because Trifonov’s party has offered them specific names, and they have quarreled among themselves.
„There is no reason to make the same mistake twice. That is why we do not suggest specific names, because we know what their reaction will be. If they are looking for an excuse, they should look for it elsewhere and have the courage to say it in front of the people. But the argument no specific names for ministers does not work. We invite them to give their suggestions as well. If they had come today and said, we are open to talking. They didn’t want that, so they should look for a more meaningful argument.“, Ninova said, adding that the meeting with TISP is tomorrow.
„It will obviously depend on their decision tomorrow how we will proceed. On Thursday, at a joint forum, we will decide what to do.„, she added, urging TISP to go to the meeting with them tomorrow and officially declare their last will.
Asked if the BSP would get the support of TISP, would they invite the DB to talks again, Cornelia Ninova replied: „I think they will come on their own.“
At the same time, the members of DB spread to the media their position on the refusal to meet in the BSP for possible support of a government with a third term. The Chairman of the parliamentary group of „Democratic Bulgaria“ Hristo Ivanov commented to „BNR“ that this meeting has no subject, „because in the initial clarity that the mandate given to the BSP is doomed, and in reality that there is no majority, this meeting becomes a pre-election PR for Ms. Ninova„. He pointed out that the moment when there was a chance to form a government was to start talks before the president handed over the mandate and to work out a management formula to be proposed to the head of state.
„The President gave a clear signal in the consultations between the first and second terms that he was ready to hear such a proposal. For some reason, Mrs Ninova decided to block this possibility, declared it unconstitutional, refused a conversation and in fact then the chance for something to happen with the third mandate was gone. After which it became, so to speak, pre-election stage prop.“, Ivanov believes.
The 46th National Assembly should be given time to adopt the update of the state budget, Ivanova noted and called for the adoption of the draft amendments to the Judiciary Act proposed by the DB, which provides for the closure of the specialized court and Prosecutor’s Office.
„We have to do something. And at least to update the budget, and at least, here we will insist, because I see that the colleagues from „There Is Such A People“ are kicking the ball with the amendments to the Judiciary Act. Last time it happened – they did not introduce them for technical reasons. Let the same not happen now and within this period try to close the specialized courts. Technologically, it can happen if we have the political will to do our job.“, Ivanov said.
„There is a very broad public consensus that this bat should be removed so that no one can use it in the future. We may have some technological differences, but they are a matter of expertise that can be settled in 2-3 hours.“
When asked about the future government of Bulgaria, the DB Co-Chairman pointed out that the long-standing tendency to concentrate in one big „player“ is changing, and the Bulgarian political class now has to learn that we live in a new time. According to him, this is a new technology of policy-making – of legitimate coalitions.
„We say: in the next parliament there should be a government and a government that can do the job for which the people elected it. But we do not say at all costs. It has a reasonable price. The reasonable price is to sit down, everyone has to give up the claim to be the only one. From then on, everything is a matter of negotiation from a point of view in principle „, Ivanov said.
