site.btaGERB Leader Borissov Names Three Sources of Influence in Caretaker Government

The caretaker government of Bulgaria, which took office on February 19, is a government of Assen Vassilev and his Continue the Change party, Ahmed Dogan and his Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, and former President Rumen Radev, said GERB leader Boyko Borissov on Monday in Stara Zagora, where he met with mayors of his party.

Perceived political and other influences in the caretaker government are a hot topic currently, because its main task is to organize fair elections for a new parliament.

Borissov stated that as long as GERB remain united, neither Dogan, nor Radev, nor Vassilev can bring them down.

He said he has "forbidden" GERB to comment on the resignation of Stoil Tzitzelkov as Deputy Prime Minister, which happened just a day after the new government stepped in.

Borissov went on to remark: "We have been taught to be modest, but being modest does not mean lacking confidence. Who in this country has done more than us? How will Radev stand up and compete with me, on what basis?", Borissov asked the mayors.

"On New Year’s Eve we listened with bated breath to the speech of the President [Rumen Radev]. When he said oligarchy – let him say which one. I state that there is no such thing in GERB," the party leader said.

Borissov noted that GERB has 1,090 mayors, and the reason for Monday's gathering is not a party event. "Our opponents love to look for fractures in GERB, because they themselves are in constant fracture," Borissov said, emphasizing that GERB's strength is unity.

"We will no longer stray from what we have been doing for 20 years," he vowed.

"This past year all of you placed the state before the party, and that is why we have 20% [in public opinion polls]. Otherwise, we would certainly have had 35%," Borissov said, describing the year as successful for the State and bad for the party.

"The leftward shift of the State led to the debt spiral caused by Assen Vassilev," he said.

"For one year GERB completed everything we talked about in this hall years ago. In return we are given labels by those who contributed nothing along this path," Borissov said.