“I put the question to a presidential council, where the leaders of all the groups are present, between the first and second reading of the budget law that the official cabinet introduced, to discuss what additions we will put in so as to guarantee people’s peace of mind, but also to have financial stability. We met with an understanding of the President’s Council.”
This was stated by the chairman of the BSP, Kornelia Ninova, on the sidelines of the parliament on the occasion of their proposal for talks between the parties on amendments to the budget. According to her, this law freezes incomes at increasing prices.
“For us, this is unacceptable and inadmissible because it leads to impoverishment. It is even more unacceptable that at the same time additional costs are foreseen, both by the end of this year and for the next, for aircraft. In the severe socio-economic crisis, poverty and people’s fear of prices, cold and hunger, this money cannot go for new planes. So we have an understanding and we will talk between the first and second reading about what to bring in additionally”, said Ninova.
The BSP is expected to present its social package, and each party has the right to offer what it wants and in this way the reasonable cross-section is sought.
“The goal is to help people, to strengthen the economy, but not at the expense of the country’s financial stability. We’ll talk about sensible solutions. It is important for us to raise the minimum wage, to help young families, children and the elderly, working groups and especially the working poor. It is absurd for us to give up the concept of „energy poverty“ and help for them. It is reasonable to talk about both tariffs – the original intention of the service cabinet was to have them, then they quickly gave up”, she added.
People’s representatives do not have the right to introduce a law to the state budget, but can only use what the cabinet has introduced – official or regular, recalled the social leader. She thinks that they have interesting conversations ahead, but she is sure of one thing – the way this budget came in from the office, it will not come out in the same form.
“This is not a majority for a government. This is a reasonable majority to ensure people through the winter and to strengthen the economy. This does not change our position that we will not support the mandate of GERB, DPS and „Vazrazhdane“. The mandates are yet to be handed over, but we have no time to waste on the budget. People are waiting for real solutions for their lives”, Ninova said categorically, adding:
“We do not accept the arguments of DPS about the huge public debt left by the previous government. We left 9 billion in the treasury, 1.5 billion surplus, by September there was a 1 billion surplus, and until then the parameters of the budget moved as we set them. These debts, which were outlined by the acting finance minister, were for us the undertaking of the aircraft. The caretaker government decided that the priority of this government is the new 8 F-16 and Gripen aircraft – they are between 5-6 billion.”
