site.btaLargest Party in Parliament Determined Not to Support Third Government Mandate, GERB to Return Second Mandate Immediately

August 17 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev Tuesday holds
further consultations with the parties represented in the 46th
National Assembly within the constitutional procedure for
handing an exploratory mandate for the formation of a
government.

The talks started with representatives of There Is Such a
People (TISP), the party with the most
 number of seats, 65, in the 240-seat Parliament.

TISP will not support a third governing-forming mandate, TISP
deputy floor leader Victoria Vassileva said after the end of the
 talks. In Vassileva's words, it is politically illogical to be
in a situation where the forces in Parliament did not accept a
cabinet proposed by the biggest parliamentary party and at the
same time expect from TISP to support another minority
government "which, strangely enough, will too govern with
thematic majorities - something about we were accused earlier".

"We are the only formation who has stood by its words from the
beginning and no one can blame us that we change our views all
the time," Vassileva said.

Radev next met with representatives of GERB-UDF whose floor
leader, Dessislava Atanassova, confirmed the formation's earlier
 intention to return immediately upon receipt the second mandate
 to form a cabinet due to be handed to it as the second-biggest
party in the incumbent Parliament. Atanassova said GERB-UDF will
 return the mandate without proposing a cabinet line-up.

Atanassova also noted that GERB-UDF hold that a possible budget
revision or any other act of Parliament should not be tied with
the handing of a second, and then third, government-forming
mandate, and the ensuing constitutional procedure, as implied by
 the President. She also said that Parliament is the place where
 the question of updating the budget is to be tabled.

Radev and Atanassova exchanged sharp words about the suggested
budget revision and the handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Atanassova argued that it is impossible to have future events
become "hostage" to whether or not the budget is updated.

Radev for his part said that he is not setting any conditions
whatsoever on Parliament. Noting that the budget revision is to
be considered fully within Parliament, he said he cannot allow
for a next caretaker government, if such is needed, to be left
in a situation without a budget update.

The additional talks on Tuesday and Wednesday come after TISP
failed to form a cabinet after the July 11 snap parliamentary
elections.

Opening his meeting with TISP, Radev said that
it is of extreme importance that everyone show even greater
responsibility to the options for dialogue, compromise and
consensus, so that a regular government is formed within the
current National Assembly.
 
On Tuesday Radev also meets with representatives BSP
 for Bulgaria. The consultations continue on Wednesday with
Democratic Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and
Rise Up BG! Here We Come. RY/ZH

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