site.btaUPDATED Vazrazhdane Consider Early Parliamentary Elections in March Feasible

The country is in a very complex situation that the party sees as a crisis, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said during consultations with President Rumen Radev ahead of the awarding of exploratory government-forming mandates. “We see no reason to waste more time – the sooner new elections are held, the better,” he added.

“This depends on you. We believe elections in March are entirely achievable, because this National Assembly is ‘politically dead’ and lacks legitimacy. From the very beginning, we have considered it unlawful,” Kostadinov told President Radev.

Representatives of Vazrazhdane also sought the President’s opinion on the introduction of the euro on January 1 of next year. 

The political force voiced serious concerns over the budget. Kostadinov reminded the President that last week they had sent a letter requesting a Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) but had received no response, and insisted on discussing the matter now. “We see that this year’s budget has failed, it is not being executed. Revenue collection stands at 50%, which means the deficit should be around 8%,” Kostadinov said. Against this backdrop, with no budget and no regular government, this country is being “forced into the eurozone, which is illegal,” he added. He warned that the situation risks repeating a “bad version of the shock therapy from the early 1990s,” with rising prices, all to push Bulgaria forcibly into the euro area. “That is why we requested the CCNS, to hear the opinions of the political parties,” Kostadinov explained.

According to him, Vazrazhdane MEP Stanislav Stoyanov will request a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to present these concerns. The party leader also noted that they have submitted a proposal to amend the legislation concerning the euro adoption, seeking to postpone Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone by at least one year. Kostadinov added that President Radev should have contacted the European Commission to explain, from an institutional perspective, that what is happening in Bulgaria is inappropriate. 

On the issue of elections, Kostadinov said high voter turnout will minimise manipulation. Responding to a question from Radev about changes to the Election Code, he said GERB and MRF- New Beginning should be removed from government. “You want us to legitimise the status quo a second time by proposing amendments to the Election Code that will not pass,” he noted. He added that Vazrazhdane had proposed fully machine-based voting in January but so far has no representation in the Central Election Commission, despite being a parliamentary party. He stressed that as many people as possible should be motivated to vote, since high turnout will minimise and marginalise electoral manipulation.

Kostadin Kostadinov, fellow Vazrazhdane MPs Tsontcho Ganev and Yordan Todorov arrived at the President's office for consultations with Radev ahead of the President's procedure for presenting the exploratory mandates to the parliamentary forces.

 Under the Constitution, after the consultations with the parliamentary groups, the President mandates the largest one to form a government. If the group fails to do so, he mandates the second largest one. If it also fails, the third exploratory mandate goes to a parliamentary group chosen by the President. Failure to form a regular government under the third mandate results in snap parliamentary elections.