site.btaDeputy PM and Labour Minister Ivailo Kalfin Resigns, ABV Plans on Leaving Government

Deputy PM and Labour Minister Ivailo Kalfin Resigns, ABV Plans on Leaving Government

Sofia, May 10 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has accepted the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister for Demographic and Social Policy and Minister of Labour and Social Policy Ivailo Kalfin on Tuesday, said the Government Information Service. It transpired earlier in the day that ABV - the party that had nominated Kalfin - has decided to withdraw from the government.

ABV's National Council decided to propose during the party's upcoming congress this Sunday that ABV should cease its partnership in supporting the government and withdraw its representatives from the Executive, ABV deputy leader Roumen Petkov said here at a news conference on Tuesday.

Petkov noted that this debate has been ongoing on within the party for a while and the National Council's Tuesday decision was made unanimously. "We are not talking about incompatible personalities here, but about fundamental political differences which GERB is deepening," he commented.

ABV's National Council highly assesses the work of Deputy Prime Minister Kalfin, as well as that of the party's representatives in the government, but firmly rejects the way of doing politics.

Petkov said that in the past year his party has been insisting on active dialogue with both GERB and the government-supporting format, however, certain decisions have been imposed by force, including such that are encroaching on the Republic of Bulgaria's democratic system.

He gave as an example the infamous amendments to the Election Code - 200 paragraphs adopted in the course of two nights. Petkov said that his party had not been invited to Tuesday's discussions between GERB, the Reformist Bloc and the Patriotic Front in Parliament.

ABV also has criticisms towards the Energy sector. "We still do not have an answer to the question what the Energy Ministry's delegation is doing in China, whether there have been discussions with Westinghouse for the construction of a new nuclear plant reactor in Bulgaria, why a loan had to be taken out to pay the US-owned power plants," Petkov noted. According to him, these are series of controversial decisions in the energy sector.

Answering a question, Petkov said that no connection should be made between ABV's decision and the Bulgarian Socialist Party's (BSP) recent congress. This is not about trade but about ABV rejecting a model, which it has been trying to change, by all means for a year and a half, to no avail, said ABV's Secretary for coalition policy Emil Kalo.

Commenting on the possibility of a joint presidential candidate with BSP, Petkov said that ABV has not yet seen the leadership format which BSP's newly elected leader will propose. "Proposals of the kind 'we are ready for conditional dialogue' are unacceptable," he said.

Deputy PM Buchvarova: Next Labour Minister Should Be from GERB's Circles

The next Labour and Social Policy Minister should be from GERB's circles, Deputy Prime Minister for Coalition Policy and Public Administration Roumyana Buchvarova told journalists after a meeting of GERB's parliamentary group. She underscored that Prime Minister Borissov is the one to decide who should take Kalfin's place. "I think we can handle this situation," she added.

GERB Expected Such a Move by ABV following BSP's Congress

GERB Floor Leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov told journalists in Parliament that his party had expected such a move by ABV following BSP's congress on May 8, where Kornelia Ninova was elected as new head of the Left-wing party. He added that many persons in Ninova's circle would like to see such a political argument so as to seek destabilization in the country.

Tsvetanov recalled that several weeks ago, when the prospecting for gas and oil was launched in the Black Sea, Prime Minister Borissov warned of possible political tremors in Bulgaria as a result of this political decision and the continuation of such prospecting.

At this moment, after Tuesday's talks with the Reformist Bloc and the Patriotic Front, there are absolutely no concerns over the continuation of the Government's policy, he noted.

Tsvetanov said that resorting to early elections is the easiest option but it is not a solution to the issue. In his words, now there is more sincerity among those supporting the Cabinet: GERB, the Patriotic Front and the part of the Reformist Bloc which supports the Government.

Patriotic Front and Reformist Bloc Not Concerned over Government's Stability, but Preformating of Ruling Majority is Possible

Patriotic Front Co-Chair Valeri Simeonov told journalists in Parliament that the majority does not fall apart with the Labour Minister's resignation. His colleague Krassimir Karachanov did not rule out a "preformating" of the ruling majority.

Reformist Bloc Co-Chair Nayden Zelenogorski expressed the same position and underscored that his formation feels a lot better now, because it had been uncomfortable participating in a coalition with a Left-wing party.

However, the Patriotic Front continues to be against the presidential veto on recently adopted amendments to the Election Code, and its support for the ruling coalition is tied to the forthcoming vote on the veto in Parliament. "Our participation in the ruling majority depends on whether the presidential veto will be rejected or adopted," Simeonov said. In his view, there is no reason for early parliamentary elections because ABV is not as significant as it believes itself to be.

Zelenogorski said he sees no drama in ABV's exit from the Government. "This is actually better because now we can talk about a centre-right patriotic government. We disagreed on some things which ABV was proposing in the social sphere, and after today [Tuesday] I am convinced that there will be no concerns over the Cabinet and the ruling majority," he noted.

Commenting on ABV's intention to withdraw from the government and Kalfin's resignation, Martin Dimitrov from the Reformist Bloc told journalists that the presidential elections this autumn will show whether and when early general elections will be held. In his words, early elections are possible but he does not expect developments in this direction.

Dimitrov also said that he had strong reservations when ABV was entering the government because it is a Left-wing party. According to him, from the very beginning ABV had no business being in the Cabinet.

Dimitrov expressed hope that Tuesday's events will cause the Government and the Prime Minister to realize the need of many serious reforms, as well as that additional coalitions of no principles should not be created.

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The Regional Governor of Pazardjik (South Central Bulgaria), Trendafil Velichkov, has tendered his resignation and Prime Minister Borissov has accepted it, Velichkov told BTA. He explained that his decision to resign was prompted by ABV's intention to withdraw its support for the Government. Velichkov was ABV's only regional governor.