site.btaGERB Leader Borissov: Political Crisis Not Created by GERB

The political crisis in the country was not created by GERB, party leader Boyko Borissov said on Saturday after inspecting the facilities of the new St Anastasia Children's Hospital in Burgas.

“We are not the creators of the political crisis. We are only warning about it,” Borissov said. According to him, when GERB governs, active construction activities and infrastructure projects begin across the country. He pointed to the development of the area around the new children’s hospital, noting that the modern infrastructure there was built within a year.

“Remember what it looked like here just a year ago – mud, filth, a swamp. After one year there is excellent infrastructure in the entire neighbourhood and a wonderful children’s hospital. In two or three months another one in Plovdiv will be ready,” Borissov said.

Borissov said the medical facility was built according to the most modern standards and will have 16 departments. He congratulated Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov for what has been achieved, saying that about 1.5 million people would benefit from the hospital.

Asked about the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, Borissov said GERB’s candidate lists have not yet been finalized. Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov will lead the party’s list in Burgas, he added. “For one year we got you into the eurozone and took you out of the swamp. The bar set by GERB is so high that I do not know what the other parties will talk about when the campaign begins,” he said. 

Commenting on possible cooperation with the Progressive Bulgaria coalition led by Rumen Radev, Borissov said it first needs to become clear how the formation will be structured and what candidates it will nominate. “Galab Donev [Co-Chair of the coalition, former chief of staff to Radev during his term in office as president]  was my deputy minister in the social sphere. I would give him a very good assessment. First we need to see what candidate lists Progressive Bulgaria will present,” Borissov said.

He also addressed the international situation, stressing that Bulgaria should clearly uphold its Euro-Atlantic orientation. “You see that in the most difficult international situation, unheard of for decades – war in Ukraine, war in Iran affecting Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Cyprus – Euro-Atlanticism is not only in words. We stand behind this policy with our name and our party,” Borissov said.

Commenting on the dismissal of four senior Interior Ministry officials, GERB leader said: “Poor Interior Ministry. Every certain period, 30–40 senior police chiefs are dismissed and a year later they return. The revanchism there is severe.”