site.btaMinority Coalition between Rightist GERB, Reformist Bloc Looms As Likeliest Option for Government

Minority Coalition between Rightist
GERB, Reformist Bloc Looms As
Likeliest Option for Government


Sofia, October 28 (BTA) - Emerging from a crucial meeting with
parliamentary floor leaders on Tuesday morning, GERB leader
Boyko Borissov said that, judging by the talks and the positions
expressed in them, a minority coalition between GERB and the
Reformist Bloc (RB) seems to be the only workable formula.

Attending the meeting, which was held in the office of
Parliament Chair Tsetska Tsacheva, were the floor leaders of
seven, out of the eight, parties in the 43rd National Assembly.
The only absent floor leader was Volen Siderov of the
nationalist Ataka party.

In Borissov words, the minority government will enjoy "floating
majority" on individual issues.

The parliamentary forces taking part in the meeting took a stand
in favour of a full four-year term of the future cabinet, and
rejected the option for holding fresh early parliamentary
elections together with the next regular local and presidential
elections. The participants in the meeting were unanimous that
new parliamentary elections in February would be fatal for
Bulgaria.

Borissov said, that if the RB sign a coalition agreement with
GERB and a programme accompanying it, the two documents will be
sent out to the other formations in Parliament "by Friday". "For
me, this is the working formula: The RB must decide and we
should start drawing up a coalition agreement," Borissov said.

At the moment the RB is holding a discussion in Parliament on
whether to take part together with GERB in a minority cabinet
and sign a possible coalition agreement and programme.

Borissov said that if he becomes a prime minister, every Tuesday
the agendas of the meetings of the Council of Ministers will be
sent out for discussion at similar meetings of parliamentary
floor leaders. The GERB Chairman stated that he will accept
support from the political formations on various issues.

RB Co-chairperson Meglena Kuneva said that the participants in
the meeting shared the opinion that, by way of the will of the
voters, a chance is being given for a right-centrist governance
by the right-centrist parties of GERB and the RB.

Borissov and Kuneva declined to answer reporters' questions.

Ataka's press office released a position of leader Siderov
saying that "the meeting of parliamentary floor leaders is a
continuation of the play-acting we witnessed in the past two
weeks during the so-called negotiations with parties". Siderov
further stated that each parliamentary group should say whether
it will support Borissov as a prime minister. "I state now that
I will not support him for prime minister. He already was a
prime minister and showed that he is unable to throw out even a
single electricity-distribution company from Bulgaria, unable to
touch monopoly holders, or the price of electricity. This man
is a coward. All this play-acting and demonstration of
politeness and collusion is very harmful," Siderov says, adding
that Ataka will be "a very strong and critical opposition of the
unprincipled governance that is being prepared". PK /ZH/