site.btaReformist Bloc Presents to GERB Platform for Governing Majority in 43rd National Assembly

118 POLITICS - GERB - REFORMIST BLOC - CONSULTATIONS - updated

Reformist Bloc Presents to GERB
Platform for Governing Majority
in 43rd National Assembly


Sofia, October 15 (BTA) - The negotiating team of the Right-wing
Reformist Bloc (RB) Wednesday went to the consultations with
GERB in Parliament with a platform for forming a responsible,
governing political majority in the 43rd National Assembly.

The Wednesday talks GERB held with RB were the third in a series
of consultations scheduled for this week between the first
political force and the parties to be represented in the next
Parliament.

The Reformist Bloc's document, which is addressed to GERB leader
Boyko Borissov and the party's negotiating team and which was
handed out to the media, lists the main political goals in four
points. The first target is to dismantle the model of merger of
the political, economic, judicial and media powers. The
Reformists describe as a political bearer of this model the
Bulgarian Socialist Party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms,
Ataka and Bulgaria without Censorship, and commit to the
isolation of these formations from the political power during
the mandate of the 43rd National Assembly.

The second political goal listed in the platform is a radical
reform in courts and the prosecuting magistracy, including the
introduction of e-justice.

The platform lists as key priorities an active participation in
the forming of strong and uniform positions of NATO and the EU,
as well as a stand against any acts of national populism,
xenophobia, racism, religious fundamentalism and infringement of
human rights.

To implement these goals, RB undertakes to elaborate a specific
programme and a calendar of reforms, and guarantees it will
uphold this programme throughout the mandate of the 43rd
National Assembly.

Emerging from the GERB-RB talks, which lasted for more than six
hours, GERB's Roumyana Buchvarova said their main concern is
that there is no legal guarantee about the stability of RB as
political entity, nor clarity about how it would be guaranteed.

The very duration of the talks is indicative of the seriousness
by which we addressed this round of negotiations, Tsetska
Tsacheva, who was also on the GERB team, said. She said that, in
spite of the many answers given, the most important question
remained unanswered, namely, how can a steady government be
formed without having clarity as to how reliable would RB be as
partner.

Speaking about the platform presented to them, Tsacheva said
that they were "particularly unpleasantly surprised" with it and
that it is outside the range of the issues, discussed by GERB.
She said further that they accept it is as part of the "hand
twisting" policy of the recent days.

RB's Peter Moskov said that their assessment of the negotiations
differs from the one of the GERB team. According to him, the
sides reached agreement over more than 90 per cent of the
topics, raised by GERB. He explained that they had come to the
talks with the clear intention of constructive talks and
reaching an accord about a steady parliamentary majority with
the participation of RB. "In our opinion, the majority, in which
the Bloc would participate, should be a counterpoint to the
majority and the government supported by the previous
parliament," said Moskov.

He also observed that RB is a steady entity and the negotiating
team expresses the common will of all parties within RB. VI,
LI/DS,TK/