site.btaGreen Movement Asks Its MPs not to Support Proposed Government

Sofia, August 7 (BTA) - The Green Movement, which is part of the Democratic Bulgaria coalition, has asked its MPs not to support the proposed cabinet from There Is Such a People (TISP). This transpired from a Facebook post by the formation's chairman Borislav Sandov. The Green Movement has objections to the nominee for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Petar Iliev, and this decision was approved by the formation's National Council.

The other two formations from Democratic Bulgaria - Yes, Bulgaria and Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria - are still to decide what to do when the designated government is put to the vote in Parliament, probably next week.

On Friday, TISP returned to President Rumen Radev a fulfilled mandate. After that, the head of state signed a decree proposing to the National Assembly to elect the nominee for Prime Minister Plamen Nikolov.

While it is the largest group in Parliament, TISP only have 65 seats in the 240-seat legislature and need support from other parties to push through their government proposal. They have been saying consistently that they expect support from Democratic Bulgaria, Rise Up BG! Here We Come! and the Bulgarian Socialist Party. The formerly ruling GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms are kept out of the talks.

Having only made one last-minute replacement in the proposed government composition - of their original Justice Minister designate after media outlet dug up derogatory comments he appears to have made about Democratic Bulgaria politicians - TISP said they are determined to keep the ministers' line-up as is. The designation of Peter Iliev for Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister is drawing intensifying ire. A lawyer by training and honorary consul of Barbados, his nomination triggered accusations of plagiarism in his doctoral thesis. The scandal was fanned up by media reports and the University of St. Kliment Ohridski in Sofia where he earned his doctoral degree, has opened a check into the matter.

In a political talkshow on Bulgarian National TV Friday evening, Tatyana Doncheva from Rise Up BG! said that Peter Iliev is "the honorary consul for an offshore zone, has a law firm with six accountants who obviously do financial transactions", and that it was the ultimate impudence to nominate him for Deputy Prime Minister after it became clear that he wasn't even acceptable for a minister.

Doncheva concluded that the proposed government ministers lack capacity to do their job.

The Socialists appear to be the most willing to support the TISP government out of all of TISP's desired partners. After a new round of experts talks on Friday, both parties said that they have come to an agreement on almost all items in the TISP government programme where they used to disagree. LN/DT