site.btaGERB Denies Interference in Formation of Caretaker Government

Sofia, August 13 (BTA) - GERB denied Wednesday that they have interfered in any way in the formation of the caretaker government by President Rosen Plevneliev. "The attempts of some parties and politicians to tell the public that the caretaker government belongs to GERB are the desperate actions of people who have been discredited by their involvement in backstage political and economic schemes," GERB said in a statement issued by the party press office.
  
The party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov blames such insinuations on the efforts of its political opponents to say that it is at the helm of the country and will therefore get the blame for any failures during the upcoming election campaign and elections for a new Parliament. "We have already seen this employed during the caretaker government of Marin Raykov with the Kostinbrod Affair," the statement goes.

It refers to a scandal which broke out on reflection day before the May 12, 2013 early parliamentary elections, when a batch of 350,000 excess ballot papers was found in a printing house in Kostinbrod (near Sofia). The case sparked recriminations among the leading political parties. Former government chief secretary Rosen Zhelyazkov was charged with malfeasance in office for failing to exercise adequate control over the amount of ballots printed by the contractor and the handling of any discards in the printing process.

The government of Bliznashki has the sole task of preparing transparent and fair elections, GERB goes on to say.
 
It says further that no representative of GERB made any comments on, or criticized, the qualities of individual ministers in the caretaker government, despite the reserves expressed about some government members by Boyko Borissov.
   
"In this line of reasoning, the responsibility for the appointment of Vanyo Tanov as customs chief rests solely with the Bliznashki government. What is a reason of concern for us is that the half-year [budget] revenue is more than a half-billion below the target and the gap is expected to widen to one billion," GERB say.
  
Tanov has served as Customs Agency chief for three years under the GERB government, from 2009 until 2013 when he was fired by former Finance Minister
Petar Chobanov, before being reinstated by Georgi Bliznashki on August 12.

GERB further say that they are not negotiating joining coalitions with anybody through secret envoys or otherwise. "Once again, we call upon our political opponents to have a positive and open election campaign which is a competition of ideas and political programme - rather than mudslinging which will put off Bulgarians from voting," the statement says in conclusion.