site.btaVazrazhdane Leader Kostadinov Calls for Altogether New Budget

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov, talking to journalists in the parliamentary lobby on Wednesday, said that the best solution for the country is to adopt a completely new state budget. According to him, the current situation in parliament is absurd and unprecedented, as an attempt is being made to adopt a budget that has effectively led to the fall of the government.

“We believe that there must be a budget. For us, the best thing that can happen is for a new budget to be passed, not an extension budget," Kostadinov said.

He pointed out that the second proposed budget is practically a rehashed version of the first, with the difference in the debt ratio being less than BGN 1 billion - about 800 million. According to him, this makes the document almost indistinguishable from the one that has already been rejected.

"We cannot support it. We cannot support an extension of a budget that we have already voted against," he added.

According to him, the country is already paying a high price for the debts incurred during the year. "A very high price will be paid for the nearly BGN 20 billion that were borrowed. Interest on the debt is rising, and Bulgaria is gradually entering a debt spiral," Kostadinov warned.

He added that, according to Vazrazhdane, the solution lies in serious spending cuts and reductions in the state administration. "There are huge buffers in the budget that have been left there to be stolen. This must be stopped."

Vazrazhdane will inform the trade unions of its position, at a meeting with their representatives scheduled to take place, Kostadinov said. He emphasized that they do not accept what is happening and support civil protests.

"Our goal will be to prevent this budget extension bill from being adopted. If they want to adopt an extension, let them do so, but they must bear responsibility for it," Kostadinov said.

In conclusion, he stated that the current parliament has exhausted its mandate and has neither the moral nor the political legitimacy to make such decisions. "Let the new National Assembly decide on the budget," he added.