site.btaPresident Holds Consultations with Parliamentary Parties on Government Formation, GERB Refuse to Participate

Sofia, July 23 (BTA) -President Rumen Radev opened
consultations Friday with the parties in the newly elected
Bulgarian Parliament ahead of presenting a mandate for the
formation of a government. He started off with There Is Such a
People (TISP) whose 65 MPs make up the biggest group in
Parliament. The formerly ruling GERB party, which now is the
second biggest in Parliament, announced at a news briefing that
they were not going to meet with the President.

In his opening remarks at the meeting with the TISP leadership,
President Radev congratulated them on their election victory and
 reminded them of the responsibility they have to try to form a
government.

He said Parliament and a parliament-appointed government should
to continue the process of strengthening statehood and take up
important tasks, including addressing the social issues,
reforming the judiciary, revising the budget, submitting the
National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

TISP deputy leader Toshko Yordanov said his party is aware of
the responsibility they have as the winners in the July 11
elections. He expressed hope that the other parties in
Parliament - except for GERB with which they are determined not
to discuss the formation of a government - will leave behind
some of their party considerations and plans, so that a stable
majority can be formed in Parliament to agree on a working
government. If this does not happen, this country will
apparently be going to new snap elections, Yordanov said.

The President urged them to wait before speaking of another snap
 elections, and first try with the other parties to identify
several priorities to agree on, focus on them and try to form a
government.

TISP said that was exactly their intention and singled out
several priorities on which they believe that agreement exists:
the judicial reform, including reforming the status of the
prosecutor general, the social problems of pensioners and
measures to prepare for a possible new health crisis.

Yordanov said that several days from now there will be clarity
if a government can be formed.
 
GERB "happy to be in opposition"

At a news conference in the Parliament building, GERB announced
that they are not going to consultations with the President.
Floor leader Dessislava Atanassova said the reason for their
decision was the disrupted dialogue and refusal of TISP to meet
with them to discuss possible support for a government.

GERB said that the President behaves in a discriminatory manner
towards GERB; that he divides the nation and breaks his
constitutional responsibility to be a unifier; and that they are
 happy to be in opposition.

Bulgarian Socialist Party

Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Kornelia Ninova, whose
group was the second to meet with the President, outlined what
the priorities are for her party: the social and economic impact
 of the health crisis, revising the national budget and
officially submitting the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
 "In this fragmented Parliament, dialogue is extremely important
 for us, regardless of what it will produce. It is important to
start to talk to each other," Ninova said.

She said that BSP officials will be holding talks with TISP on
Saturday, will take the proposals and ideas they hear to the BSP
 National Council and its coalition partners the next day with a
 hope of obtaining a mandate for further talks "with very clear
parameters".

She reiterated that if the first and second party in Parliament
are unable or unwilling to form a government, and they become
the third party to try, they will accept the exploratory
mandate.

Democratic Bulgaria

Speaking after the consultations with Democratic Bulgaria, which
 is the fourth largest political force in the new Parliament,
Radev said that the National Assembly, in view of the challenges
 facing this country, has the responsibility to form as soon as
possible an effective government that enjoys broad parliamentary
 and public support.

Commenting on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Radev
said that the European Commission's (EC) requirements are
constantly increasing, as it wishes to see the allocated funding
 spent in the best possible way. This is not merely handing out
money, but an instrument for reforms, which can modernize this
country, the head of State said. He noted that these reforms
cannot be decided only by a caretaker government, but require a
parliament with a clear reformist will and a government united
around common principles.

"I do not want a cabinet at any cost. The President is not and
cannot be the architect of a governing coalition," Radev said,
adding that this goes beyond his powers and is the
responsibility of Parliament and the political parties. "I
insist, however, that before we start talking about new snap
elections, this time around we first exhaust all options for
dialogue in search of a consensus that revolves around
Bulgaria's interests, so that we can find a sensible solution,"
the head of State said.

Democratic Bulgaria co-leader Hristo Ivanov stressed the need to
 prepare for the next COVID-19 wave, so that the damages and
restrictive measures can be kept to a minimum.  He also noted
that the EC points to the judicial problems not just to prevent
some money from being stolen, but to make sure the money is
invested in a different future for this country.

According to Ivanov, Bulgaria is at a crossroads and Parliament
has the fateful responsibility to form a government. Democratic
Bulgaria is ready to contribute in any shape of form, be it as a
 full-fledged coalition member, a participant that offers
support from the side, as opposition, and if it gets the
exploratory government-forming mandate. "Our focus is currently
on the first mandate. The serious discussions will be about the
formula, the parliamentary configuration that is capable of
forming a government of the deep change, he said. Floating
majorities can quickly turn into quicksand, he warned.

Asked whether he is concerned about the start of talks with the
Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), Ivanov said that he is
not worried about the start of talks with the MRF, but about
them remaining in the discussion and being part of the final
configuration. Maybe there is sense in starting a process in
such a format that none of the participants plays a decisive
role, he said.

Movement for Rights and Freedoms

President Radev said during the consultations with the MRF that
he is optimistic about what he has seen so far in the
consultations with the political forces in Parliament and that
they're resorting to alternative ways to try to form a cabinet.

The formula offered this time is different and is not to seek a
coalition, but to unite around clear goals, priorities and
mechanisms. He told the MRF they can be beneficial, as they have
 proven themselves as a party with traditions in parliamentarism
 and dialogue throughout the years.

MRF leader Mustafa Karadayi noted that his party has never
ceased urging all responsible institutions and parties to
restore normality in politics, which requires dialogue.

According to him, there are favourable conditions right now to
engage in dialogue on forming a programme with clear national
priorities and to seek broad parliamentary support. He recalled
his party's statement that they are a guarantor for the
security, stability and democracy in this country. The MRF is in
 favour of restoring the normality in politics, dialogue,
setting national priorities and a programme for accelerated
economic development. Only then should the composition of the
future cabinet be discussed, he said.

 Rise Up BG! Here We Come!

Radev said during the consultations with Rise Up BG! Here We
Come! (Rise Up!) that the proposed government forming formula
gives each party weight not based on its number of MPs, but
based on its priorities and ideas for getting out of the social
and economic crisis and dismantling the rogue model of
governance, tackling corruption, poverty and inequality.

"We are ready and will support a government that will bring
change, but not if GERB's and MRF's long arm is seen in it,"
Rise Up! leader Maya Manolova said. "We believe that such a
support from GERB and MRF would be a toxic embrace, which will
kill people's expectation for change, honesty, transparency and
publicity," she added.

Manolova said Rise Up! would support a cabinet with the
participation of Democratic Bulgaria and TISP, adding hower,
that her formation would not hesitate to go back to the streets
at the first sign of any attempts to engage in political games
and engineering. 

Manolova expressed satisfaction that an anti-establishment party
 is taking the responsibility to form a government, which is
what the Bulgarian citizens expect as well. "We will support a
cabinet whose agenda corresponds to that of the Bulgarian
citizens," Manolova said. LN,MY


/МЙ/