site.btaGERB Walks out of Parliament, Gives Up Budget Update

Sofia, July 30 (BTA) - GERB leaves Parliament and is not going to participate in the second-reading debates and vote on updates of the national budget and the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund, the leader of the party, Boyko Borissov, told reporters in the corridors of Parliament Wednesday.

It transpired from Borissov's words that they are taking this step to disprove allegations of a new coalition emerging between GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).

Such suspicions were prompted by the support of the two parties for the budget revision motion.

Borissov also said they are also giving up a motion for broadening the powers of the future caretaker government to allow it to take new loans, if needed. 

"That was enough. From now on the whole responsibility goes to the BSP [the Bulgarian Socialist Party]. Let them come together with MRF and [the nationalist] Ataka like they have been doing for the past year and two months, and pass any laws they want," said the GERB leader apparently referring to the majority of BSP and MRF which, with support from Ataka, were able until recently to secure a majority to push through their legislative initiatives.

Borissov was adamant that nothing will bring his MPs back to the debating chamber now. He added that they "very much wanted to help the President and the caretaker government but it is no longer possible".

Wednesday's parliamentary sitting failed due to absence of quorum. 104 MPs in the 240-seat legislature registered for the sitting and all GERB MPs were absent.

The next sitting was scheduled for 9 am on Thursday.

MPs were supposed to debate first reading changes to the Waste Management Act and vetoed provisions to the Protection of Competition Act.