site.btaGERB Chair Borissov Says Party Will No Longer Secure Quorum in Parliament, Questions GERB’s Participation in Government

GERB leader Boyko Borissov said his party would no longer help ensure a quorum in Parliament, casting doubt on whether GERB would remain part of the governing majority. Borissov made the remarks during a Tuesday meeting with members of the GERB-UDF parliamentary group and Prime Minister and GERB member Rosen Zhelyazkov at the party’s headquarters. The meeting was streamed live on Borissov’s Facebook page.

"I see no place for GERB in such a government. We are the sixth-largest force." He was referring to Sunday's municipal council elections in the southern town of Pazardzhik, which were won by Delyan Peevski's Movement for Rights and Freedoms, with the opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria coalition in second place, and GERB in sixth place.

"Is there any point in us staying in the government?" he asked. "If we stay, it will only be formally; we will no longer provide them with a quorum," Borissov said. "We will not break the coalition, but we will not continue to participate in this way either."

“For almost a year, we have been holding the state together, and the result is that we’re sixth [again referring to the local elections for municipal councillors in Pazardzhik]. If we go on like this for three more years, we’ll end up twenty-sixth, while others will keep growing,” Borissov said, adding: “We were fools, but we’ve woken up with a different mindset now.”

Borissov also criticized National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova, accusing her of constantly seeking the spotlight.