site.btaPM Borissov: Cabinet Will Survive No-Confidence Vote

PM Borissov: Cabinet Will Survive No-Confidence Vote

Sofia, December 14 (BTA) - Talking to journalists on Monday, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said the Bulgarian Socialist Party's motion of no confidence over the cabinet's health care policy was completely unwarranted.

Borissov attended the opening of an intensive care unit at the Neurosurgery Clinic of the Pirogov accident and emergency hospital. He said the motion was unwarranted first, because that project had been mothballed for two years and people received treatment in awful conditions. Now, thanks to Health Minister Peter Moskov, doctors say the renovated unit has lived up to their dreams. Second, the motion is unwarranted because the National Health Insurance Fund had a deficit of 400 million leva in 2014, which was reduced to less than 10 million leva this year by the coalition government led by GERB.

The Prime Minister added: "I am convinced that the cabinet will survive the motion of no confidence because many things have been done in health care and the reform is going strong. I will keep supporting it."

Borissov said he would wait until Tuesday for the Reformist Bloc to state whether it will remain part of the government coalition. Immediately afterwards a candidate for the justice portfolio will be named. "I hope this is not the end of the judicial reform and I pin my hope on common sense. Nothing can be done in a destabilized State. I am certain we will find a consensus figure who will take things from here," he said.

After the passage of constitutional amendments on a second of three readings on December 9, Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov resigned and one of the Reformist Bloc constituent parties, the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), withdrew its confidence in the government and quit the majority in Parliament. DSB leader Radan Kanev said this move has been prompted by GERB's backtracking on agreed changes to the Constitution.

Health Minister Peter Moskov stepped down as DSB deputy leader but retained his post in the government.

Commenting on the DSB's decision to leave the government coalition, Borissov said he did not want to exert pressure on the party, which"must have had some grounds at the time". Those are some of the most intelligent people in that party, he said.

For his part, Moskov said the DSB had not pressured him into resigning. "To me it is important that both the DSB and the Reformist Bloc should implement their ideas in government, however difficult this may be." Moskov added that the DSB and the Reformist Bloc should reaffirm they were set on helping the country together. He said: "I cannot accept the DSB's plunge back into isolation, regardless of the snags along the road."