site.btaGERB Leader: “Not the Time for Government Reshuffle, Budget Talks Must Continue

“It’s not the right time to make changes in the government, but within Parliament you can do it — select your majority and use it to discuss which version of the budget will be supported,” GERB leader Boyko Borissov told Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov during a meeting of the party’s Executive Commission with ministers, MPs, and mayors, broadcast live on Facebook.

Borissov announced that he had asked the Prime Minister to meet on Monday with their government partners: BSP – United Left and There Is Such a People (TISP).

“After someone pulled Alliance for Rights and Freedoms out of the majority, we were left with a minority of 100 MPs. Yesterday, I listened very carefully and sincerely hoped that Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CCP-DB) would say they are ready to meet and talk, to support the government on specific issues and help form a majority — but they didn’t,” Borissov said. “The only one who firmly stood up and said he supports the government was Delyan Peevski and MRF – New Beginning,” he added.

“Yesterday, I asked Rosen Zhelyazkov to go meet with our two partners — TISP and BSP — who had signed up for a sanitary cordon against Peevski, and to tell them that I can handle however they want to talk about ‘Borissov AND Peevski.’ I’ve known him [Peevski] for 20 years and I know what I can count on. I know that when I ask something of him, he respects it, and when he asks me to do something, I follow through — we both keep our word,” Borissov said.

According to him, the other two parties had “gone into hiding again.”

“We need to hold a meeting with New Beginning. Peevski should be spoken to directly, face to face. The others — those who want this to happen, or don’t — should offer another option. I have no other option. I sincerely hoped CC-DB would propose one — but they didn’t. If TISP and BSP are okay with it, invite them and talk. If not — we won’t do it alone,” Borissov concluded. 

The government skipped its weekly meeting this week and Parliament has been unable to secure quorum for a third day now and is not sitting. That is exactly three days after Borissov said that the GERB deputies should head for their constituencies to meet with people. It was his reaction to the outcome of local elections in Pazardzhik where MRF-New Beginning emerged as the leading force and GERB slumped to the sixth position. "I see no place for GERB in such a government. We are the sixth-largest force," he said on October 14, triggering talk of imminent early elections.

Borissov's remark prompted MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski to say that they were ready to officially "share the government responsibility". Also, he said earlier on Friday that "there will be no elections".