site.bta DSB Leader Kanev: Government May Be Leading Country Down Wrong Track

DSB Leader Kanev: Government May Be Leading Country Down Wrong Track

Sofia, December 11 (BTA) - Speaking to journalists in Parliament on Friday, Reformist Bloc (RB) co-floor leader and Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) leader Radan Kanev said that the DSB leadership will decide on Saturday about its participation in the government. He urged for patience as this was time for serious political decisions, recalling that a joint decision by the Reformist Bloc (RB) should be preceded by political decisions of the Bloc's founding parties. 'Unfortunately, for a long time, the Bloc has been an organization where we don't make decisions as a whole but communicate the individual decisions" Kanev said.

The DSB leader went on to say: "Mr Borissov and GERB made a very clear and very difficult political choice: whether this government will be implementing reforms or not. They chose comfort from the point of view of the various lobbies behind the judiciary, the same which toppled GERB from power in 2013, which set up the Kostinbrod affair, which elected Delyan Peevski and threatened GERB with physical retribution. These same people were preferred by MR Borissov as partners in their current government. This is a government of GERB, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and ABV."

Kanev said that the important question was whether DSB will be part of such government. "This question concerns Bulgaria's future and whether the current legislature and government may keep things on the right track, or will continue down the wrong one. In other words, they will be a better successor to the Oresharski cabinet which was very weak. There is a risk that this government may be leading the country down the wrong track," said Kanev,

Asked how many RB deputies are ready to go in opposition, Kanev said he wasn't doing calculations but hoped for a solid common political position.

Approached whether DSB will nominate a new justice minister, Kanev said that personally he wouldn't suggest anyone. Asked whether Meglena Kuneva meets his criteria for justice minister Kanev said that outgoing minister Ivanov was the man for the job. "It is hard to imagine after all that Hristo had to put up with from his own and from the others, and after the whole campaign to smear him that there will be someone with such resolve and courage to take up the job and implement reforms. I am very concerned that the next justice minister won't be brave enough to follow in his steps," he said. Kanev added that he was disgusted by the attacks against Ivanov both from GERB and the Reformist Bloc.

Asked whether he had plans to set up a new political formation Kanev said that if he did he would have done it a long time ago.

Meanwhile it emerged that Grozdan Karadzhov had tendered his resignation as head of the parliamentary transport committee. RB's Karadzhov said he was stepping down from the committee right after Ivanov's resignation.

Karadzhov told "24 Chassa" that 13 MPs from the Reformist Bloc would go in opposition. However he would not disclose any names. Asked what being in opposition meant, Karadzhov said: "We won't support the majority." It transpired that he won't be leaving the Reformist Bloc group. "This may be the beginning of the real RB and not the beginning of the end for the Bloc."

Economy Minister Loukarski: No Grounds to Leave Government

Speaking to journalists ahead of the unveiling of Sofia Tech Park, Economy Minister Bozhidar Loukarski said that the ruling coalition was stable for the time being. He said that the judicial reform does not come down to constitutional changes only and that there are many laws that are yet to be adopted. Loukarski said that from now on there will be a battle for the judicial reform. He said that many provisions in the Constitution had been adopted with an overwhelming majority and that GERB did not boycott the vote. "The provisions that we wanted to be adopted did not get through, but at this stage there are no grounds to leave the government," he said. Loukarski specified that the Union of Democratic Forces won't nominate a justice minister and added that the resignations of any minister had not been on the agenda.

Education Minister Todor Tanev:
"If RB Wants Me to Step Down, I Will Discuss it with the Prime Minister"

"When all five parties in the Reformist Bloc and its Citizens Council
ask me to step down, I will go and discuss it with the Prime Minister," said Education Minister Todor Tanev. He was approached by media in Parliament what he would do if the Reformist Bloc decided to withdraw its ministers from the government. Tanev said that no one had said anything to him directly. "I am doing my job, and the team and the Ministry are coping very well," said Tanev.

GERB floor leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov:
No New Parliamentary Majority, Government Continues to Be Stable

"I am convinced that the government continues to be stable and that nothing changes the configuration for a new parliamentary majority," GERB floor leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov told journalists in Parliament. "But it is important to remember that there are eight groups in Parliament and there are important decisions on which the groups that make up the parliamentary majority have different opinion. GERB and the Reformist Bloc with their 107 votes won't be able to keep the stability without the support of the other parliamentary groups on topmost national priorities," said Tsvetanov.

Of the judicial reform, Tsvetanov said that the Constitution is a platform but that the Judicial System Act is a tremendous challenge and a test for all parliamentary parties. "There we can give guarantees which will dispel all doubts," he said.