site.btaKiril Petkov Comments on Coalition Policy of Continue the Change

October 3 (BTA) - Continue the Change leader Kiril Petkov said in a bTV interview on Sunday morning that Democratic Bulgaria and Rise Up BG! Here We Come! are the "foremost partners" of his recently launched left-of-centre political project.

"We have the clearest idea about joint action, and we're even planning to sign a document which will become a coalition [agreement] after the [November 14 early parliamentary] elections. We want to show to the Bulgarian people that we believe that Bulgaria will next have a coalition government," said Petkov, who served as economy minister in the caretaker cabinet that ran the country between May 12 and September 16, 2021.

The document will spell out the principles of the future governance: no tax rises, replacement of the prosecutor general, and healthcare and education as key priorities, the interviewee added.

He noted that Continue the Change are open for talks with There Is Such a People, too.

In the post-election situation, Petkov would be glad to see a Democratic Bulgaria designee holding the justice portfolio and social policy being entrusted to Rise Up BG! Here We Come!

Dual Citizenship Controversy

Continue the Change said in a Facebook post on Sunday that an administrative act, received by mail, certifies that Kiril Petkov was not a citizen of Canada by August 20, 2021.

Petkov will meet the October 9 deadline he was given by the Constitutional Court to present documents about his citizen status, according to the post.

"Kiril Petkov submitted an application to renounce Canadian citizenship back on April 21, 2021 and surrendered his Canadian passport to the Embassy. He has repeatedly stated that the date on which he stated his will to renounce citizenship rather than the date on which he was served the administrative act was the relevant date," the post said.

There Is Such a People first raised the issue about Petkov's Canadian citizenship because of the requirement that government ministers should be Bulgarian citizens only. The matter was taken to the Constitutional Court. If it determines that Petkov still held Canadian citizenship by May 10, 2021, it will probably invalidate President Rumen Radev's decree of that date by which he appointed the caretaker cabinet. Even in this case, though, Petkov's decisions in his capacity as economy minister would be left standing.

The actual date on which Petkov's Canadian citizenship was cancelled is important for his future political career, too, as single citizenship is also required for registration of candidates for Parliament.

The Constitutional Court is expected to issue its decision by the end of October, i.e. halfway through the month-long campaign for the November 14 parliamentary elections. VE/LG//