site.btaFour Ministers Go in Government Shakeup

July 23 (BTA) - Four ministers are losing their jobs in a
 government shakeup announced by Bulgaria's government coalition
 council on Thursday. The Minister of Finance Vladislav Goranov,
 of the Economy Emil Karanikolov, of the Interior Mladen Marinov
 and of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova have been replaced.

Announcing the decision, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that
 Health Minister Kiril Ananiev will replace Goranov as Finance
Minister and the vacated ministerial office in the Health
Ministry will be filled by the director of Sofia's Alexandrovska
 Hospital, Prof. Kostadin Angelov. The present National Police
Director, Hristo Terziiski, will be offered to replace the
outgoing Interior Minister and Karanikolov will be succeeded as
 Economy Minister by his deputy minister Luchezar Bisserov. The
Tourism Ministry goes to Deputy Prime Minister Mariana Nikolova.
 
The government shakeup has been anticipated since last week when
 Prime Minister Boyko Borissov announced, amid large-scale
protests against corruption and against the government, that
there would be a thorough government overhaul. He said that the
Ministers of Finance, of the Interior and of the Economy would
be asked to stepped down for perceived close links with the
opposition Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which is widely
seen as a strong power broker under any government. The name of
the Tourism Minister was freshly added Thursday.

Prime Minister Borissov and the co-leaders of the power-sharing
United Patriots, Valeri Simeonov and Krassimir Karakachanov, met
 on Wednesday to discuss possible ministerial replacements. A
press release by the government press office said that each
would discuss the matter with their group in Parliament and
would meet again Thursday to make a decision.

The proposed reshuffle will be submitted to Parliament later on
Thursday.

It also transpired from the Prime Minister's remarks that some
deputy ministers will be changed as well.

What government plans to do in coming days

On Monday, the government will present financial and
socio-economic measures called for by the pandemic, said
Borissov. He added that some of these measures will require
prompt legislative revisions.

After the financial and economic measures, which the government
sees as a matter of top priority, it will continue with its
other priorities, including some for which the United Patriots
have been trying to push through for a while, said Karakachanov,
 the Defence Minister and leader of the power-sharing VMRO
party.

He specified that those had to do with demographics, older
people and Bulgarians abroad, among other issues.

PM: Anybody has the right to protest

Asked to comment the ongoing protests, the Prime Minister said
that anybody is free to protest as this is part of democracy. As
 for whether the Prosecutor General should come down, he said
that while he is against any kind of show operations by the
authorities - for which the Prosecutor General is being blamed -
 the Prosecutor General was elected in a democratic procedure
finalized with a presidential decree.

Borissov also made a comment about Hristo Ivanov, the leader of
the opposition Democratic Bulgaria and one of the outstanding
figures in the protests, who urged Borissov Wednesday to take
action leading to the replacement of Ivan Geshev as Prosecutor
General. "I know Hristo Ivanov has long dreamt of becoming
Prosecutor General and having everybody under his control," said
 Borissov. He added that his government and himself have never
had control over everybody and mentioned as an example how he
heard about the arrest of his former Environment Minister, Neno
Dimov, from the news media.

There was an immediate reaction from Hristo Ivanov who wrote on
Facebook that Borissov's remark was a proof of his "total
inadequacy". "In a normal democracy, politicians like me don't
become Prosecutor General. Even Borissov knows this and this
talking point of his gives away his huge hear that there may be
a truly independent prosecutor general who obeys only law and
democratic accountability," he said.

What the political forces said of the changes in the government

Hristo Ivanov called the government shakeup "reshuffling the
chairs on Titanic's deck" and said its only value is in being an
 admission of the government's dependence on MRF deputy - and
business owner - Delyan Peevski and MRF founder and honorary
chairman Ahmed Dogan.

Comments also came from Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova who
said that Borissov wasmerely trying to save himself. "Ministers
change but the mafia-style government model remains. They have
changed ministers 12 times in this government and things are
always done the same way," she said.

She pointed out that there were no motives announced for the
replacement of the Tourism Minister. "Obviously it was a deal
with Valeri Simeonov and his National Front for Salvation of
Bulgaria to keep them in the government coalition," she said
referring to the long-standing rift between Angelkova and
Simeonov over issues in the tourism sector in Bulgaria.

Ninova said that her party's position remains unchanged: they
want the resignation of the entire government.

Volya deputy floor leader Krustina Taskova expressed surprise
over the government shakeup. She recalled the Prime Minister
saying weeks ago that no party or coalition can manage on its
own in the present circumstances and commented that the
government reshuffle "obviously shows that they believe
themselves to be self-sufficient now and in no need of
additional political or public support". RI/LN


//


//