site.btaAntitrust Watchdog Election Will Not Be Cancelled, Despite Objections

Antitrust Watchdog Election Will Not Be Cancelled, Despite Objections

Sofia, March 8 (BTA) - The procedure for electing a new Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) will not be stopped, despite fears of behind-the-scenes dealings and complaints that the time for nominations was not enough. The decision to carry on with the election was made at a meeting Tuesday of the parties of the ruling majority: GERB, the Reformist Bloc, the Patriotic Front and ABV. The 11 nominees to the 7-member CPC will be heard out by the Economic Policy Committee in Parliament on Wednesday. The rules for the procedure were approved by the National Assembly at the end of February.

On Monday, Radan Kanev, who leads one of the parties in the Reformist Bloc, warned of a looming backstage deal for the new CPC composition. Following Kanev's statement, Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov instructed the GERB parliamentary group to find a way to stay out of the CPC election in order to deter speculation that the election is a dubious deal between GERB, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).

Speaking to the media after Tuesday's meeting of the ruling majority, GERB Floor Leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov said he will update the Prime Minister on the opinion of the ruling coalition. Reformist Bloc Co-Floor Leader Naiden Zelenogorski said the rule-setting and nomination procedure has unfolded in accordance with the National Assembly Rules of Procedure and therefore should be brought to completion. He said the Reformist Bloc has its own nominee, although he is not supported by the entire Bloc. According to another Reformist Bloc member, Bozhidar Loukarski, the objections should have been made before the rules were approved by the legislature. "Now it is like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted," he added.

Similarly, Patriotic Front Co-Chairman Krassimir Karakachanov said: "If someone wanted to hint at a lack of transparency and behind-the-scenes arrangements, they should have done that in the plenary chamber of the National Assembly. If someone wanted to propose an extension to the nomination deadline, they should have done that earlier, too." Karakachanov sees no evidence that the rules have been broken. "Let us not make a mountain out of a molehill," he suggested. The other Co-Chairman of the Patriotic Front, Valeri Simeonov, said there is no drama here and no reason to cancel the election. "We need not get emotional," he said.

ABV Deputy Floor Leader Mariana Todorova said the procedure has been legitimate and there were legal deadlines for proposals. "The desire for a stronger civic element could be fulfilled by nominating the right kind of experts," she advised. ABV Deputy Chairman Roumen Petkov said Prime Minister Borissov had hinted that the overall procedure of CPC rules, criteria and techniques might be reconsidered. According to Petkov, if the Prime Minister and his GERB party are prone to yield to this type of racketeering, they become accomplices to the wrecking of statehood. "We are starting a bad practice. The term of office of the incumbent CPC has been extended by more than a year. One cannot help asking oneself whether this is deliberate, so that they could do certain biddings and cater for certain political or economic interests," he commented.

MRF Co-floor Leader Chetin Kazak commented that the Prime Minister's position on the matter sends a confusing message and does not paint a good picture of the synchronization in the ruling majority, regarding the consistency of the actions taken and decisions adopted. "Ultimately, they do not give the public a sense of stable and predictable governance," Kazak observed.

As expected, GERB have nominated Rossen Zhelyazkov, a former chief secretary of the Council of Ministers in the first Borissov Cabinet, for CPC chairperson. The MRF have nominated former constitutional judge Plamen Kirov for CPC member. Kirov was expected to be a nomination of ABV because he chaired the Legal Council of President Georgi Purvanov, whose election and re-election was secured by the MRF votes. Another ABV nominee for CPC member is lawyer Nikolai Ilchev, now Deputy Chairman of the Veliko Turnovo Municipal Council.