site.btaPresident Offers Government Mandate to There Is Such a People, MP Plamen Nikolov Is PM Designate

Sofia, July 30 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev Friday offered an
exploratory mandate for formation of a government to There Is
Such a People (TISP) in their capacity as the largest group in
the new Bulgarian legislature. The President handed the degree
with the government mandate to MP Plamen Nikolov,  TISP's Prime
Minister designate.

Nikolov came as a surprise: for over a week now lawyer Peter
Iliev was rumoured to be TISP's choice for the next government
leader.

The President told the TISP officials as he handed them the
mandate: "People voted for you expecting you to consolidate the
front for a change. The time has come how and who will
accomplish that. Too many pressing problems have built up.
Bulgarian people are looking forward to hearing your nominations
 for government ministers within the constitutional timeframe."

Plamen Nikolov said: "It is an honour and responsibility for me
to be here. I will do anything I can to meet the constitutional
deadline".

TISP have a week to go back to the President with an official
government nomination and then put it forward to Parliament for
its approval.

After the ceremony with the President, TISP floor leader Toshko
Yordanov said his party would present its government nominations
 to the Parliament.

He said support from Democratic Bulgaria and Rise Up! is very
important for them.

Plamen Nikolov listed five top priorities: the National Recovery
 and Resilience Plan, handling the COVID crisis, updating
pensions, replacing the proportional representation system with
a majoritarian system, and carrying through a judicial reform.

Who is Nikolov

According to TISP's and Parliament's websites, TISP MP Plamen
Nikolov was born on July 29, 1977 in the northern town of Gorna
Oryahovitsa. He is an entrepreneur with over 15 years of
experience in business development and project management. He
has worked with clients, including Amazon, Intersport, EMAG,
swimming federations and national Olympic committees.

Nikolov has graduated from the University of Klagenfurt,
Austria, and has a PhD in Philosophy of Law, Politics and
Economics from Sofia University. He speaks English, German and
Russian.

The comments

Maya Manolova of Rise Up! voiced satisfaction that four of the
poriorities listed by Nikolov match her own group. She spoke to
reporters on her way our of Parliament where she met with the
Prime Minister designate. Her expectation is that he will have a
 constructive conversation with the parliamentary groups and
expressed hope that, since they have common goals, they will
find common solutions.

Manolova also said she would wait out the meetings of the Prime
Minister designate with the groups in Parliament, to hear his
idea for a timeframe for the judicial reform and the way
pensions will be updated, the social policies and support for
businesses. "We will make a final decision after we see the
composition of the proposed government," she said.

Hristo Ivanov of Democratic Bulgaria said it was early to make
comments. He said of Plamen Nikolov that he is "obviously
totally unfamiliar for us, a nice person". "It is too early to
make any comments, and maybe all this is a little sad for the
whole country," he said without elaborating, likely referring to
 how TISP went about the government formation process.

As for the priorities mentioned by Plamen Nikolov, he said that
"any Bulgarian citizen can declare the same".

The Socialist party will ask the Prime Minister designate to
meet them in Parliament. This was announced by the party's
deputy leader, Irena Anastassova, after a meeting of the top
leaderhsip.

The Socialists want to discuss with him "the format of support
for the priorities, whether an agreement or a government
programme", but it has to be written.

Anastassova also said that they know Nikolov from the sectoral
discussions with TISP and saw he was open to dialogue. LN/MY