site.btaGERB, Reformist Bloc, Patriotic Front Appear to Agree on Minority Government with Broader Parliamentary Support

GERB, Reformist Bloc, Patriotic Front
Appear to Agree on Minority Government with
Broader Parliamentary Support

Sofia, October 30 (BTA) - Following more than two hours of
trilateral talks on a government coalition Thursday, GERB, the
Reformist Bloc (RB) and the Patriotic Front (PF) appeared to
agree on a tentative plan including a GERB-RB minority 
government with a government programme possibly supported by the
 PF. The results of the talks were made public at separate news
briefings held by the RB leaders, the GERB negotiating team and
Valeri Simeonov of the PF.

GERB leader Boyko Borissov did not attend the talks even though
RB's Meglena Kuneva, Radan Kanev, Bozhidar Loukarski, Korman
Ismailov and Nikolai Nenchev were there, as well as Valeri
Simeonov. GERB was only represented by Tomislav Donchev and
Roumyana Buchvarova.

Tomislav Donchev also mentioned of a 2+2 scenario in which GERB
and the RB sign a coalition agreement and their government
programme is also supported in Parliament by the PF and ABV.
This will give the government a majority support from four
parties.

Donchev said that the scenario has only been discussed with the
PF and it remains to be seen how the ABV would respond.

GERB declined the support offered by the Movement for Rights and
 Freedoms.

It also transpired after the talks that the three political
forces are still working on a government programme with a view
to incorporating in it as much as possible from the platforms
priorities of the three formations and ensure consensus.

Donchev said that they will present the final government
programme for GERB and the RB Monday evening or Tuesday at the
latest. It will hopefully be supported by the PF as well, he
added.

Radan Kanev of the RB added that GERB and the RB would put
forward a government programme which will also incorporate some
of the highlights in the PF platform.

GERB has 84 MPs in the 240-seat legislature, the RB 23 and the
PF 19.

Valeri Simeonov criticized Boyko Borissov for his remarks
Wednesday about the PF priorities shortly after EPP President
Joseph Daul said he would not support a party as PF in the
government. Simeonov said that Borissov failed to act as a pride
 former PM and tell Daul to keep out of Bulgaria's internal
affairs.

On Wednesday, Borissov lashed out at the PF for including in
their platform plans for introducing mandatory Bulgarian
language exams for all 6-year-olds in Bulgaria and for deploying
 missiles on the border with Turkey, which he said went against
GERB's Euro-Atlantic values.

According to Simeonov, during an earlier round of talks at the
GERB headquarters, Borissov expressed no objections to the PF
priorities that so angered him during Daul's visit.

Simeonov said that the PF position has been consistent from the
first round of talks: to sign in support of a government
programme, not to sign a coalition agreement and not to
participate with political persons in the future government.

He said that his formation and GERB now are fully aware where
their programmes overlap. "We are ready for compromise," he
added. PK/LN/
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