site.btaGERB to Propose Governance Declaration to Reformist Bloc on Saturday

GERB to Propose Governance Declaration to Reformist Bloc on Saturday

Sofia, October 31 (BTA) - The GERB party will draft a governance
declaration by Saturday as a basis for a common governance
programme and will send it to their potential partners, the
Reformist Bloc, GERB's Roumyana Buchvarova told journalists in
the Parliament lobby on Friday, emerging from yet another round
of talks with the Reformist Bloc.

Working groups of the two political entities will discuss the
declaration in detail at separate meetings later on Saturday,
matching it against their respective campaign programmes, before
they come together in the Parliament building on Sunday to work
out the text. A detailed governance programme will be adopted a
month after the new government is formed, Buchvarova explained.

Before discussing the declaration, GERB expects a clear answer
about the views of the Reformist Bloc concerning the structure
and the membership of the new cabinet and about the way
responsibility will be borne in the government, said Tomislav
Donchev (GERB), noting that the Bloc have asked for a few days'
time to consider their answer.

A coalition agreement will be signed after the Reformist Bloc
make their views clear to GERB.

Buchvarova recalled that ever since the first round of the
consultations, GERB have favoured a proportional allocation of
the ministerial seats between the parties. Governmental
decisions should be made on a consensus basis and dissenting
opinions should be allowed, Buchvarova said. Donchev added that
unconstitutional government formats will not be considered.

Asked whether it is true that the Reformist Bloc have bid to
take half of the ministerial seats, the Bloc's Meglena Kuneva
said: "This is ridiculous."

Commenting on GERB leader Boyko Borissov's skepticism about
putting together a government with the Reformist Bloc, Donchev
said: "The situation is rather dynamic. The fact that today
there was progress in the talks does not mean that the progress
cannot be reversed tomorrow."

Kuneva attributed Borissov's skepticism to the high strain
associated with the responsibility of forming a government and
the desire to achieve results quickly. At Friday's meeting the
two political forces found that they had fewer differences than
before about the economy, the justice system, education, public
health and the government's role in disaster response, Kuneva
said.

The Reformist Bloc basically approves of GERB's idea to merge
the Customs Agency with the National Revenue Agency, but not too
soon, because, instead of minimizing the loss of public
revenues, a hasty merger can have the opposite effect. The Bloc
also favours, in principle, the financial decentralization of
municipalities. "We accept the general direction," said Naiden
Zelenogorski, adding that the matter still requires an in-depth
discussion.