site.btaPrime Minister Borissov: President Radev Should Not Use Pandemic as an Excuse to Postpone Parliamentary Elections

January 7 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told journalists at the Council of Ministers on Thursday that the date of the parliamentary elections is set by the Head of State, and if President Radev has already scheduled them for March 28, he should not use the developments in the pandemic situation as an excuse to change the date. Borissov made a surprise appearance at the press conference of the national coronavirus task force. He said that Bulgaria is preparing for elections on March 28, and called for the immediate vaccination of as many people as possible, including general practitioners.

Borissov replied to President Radev's statement that Borissov and Delyan Peevski (MP of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and an influential publisher and businessman) are partners. The President said that "Mr. Borissov is a confidant of Turkish President Erdogan, who sent a greetings message to the recent MRF conference." Borissov said that "No one should be playing the ethnic card, especially with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and Turkish President Erdogan: anyone who doesn't know the history of Bulgaria's national revival should be more careful in their phrasing."

Borissov denied any connections with the MRF, saying that he could reply in kind to the President by linking him to businessman Vasil Bojkov (a fugitive gambling tycoon who lost his gambling empire in early 2020 and is now in the United Arab Emirates, from where Bulgaria is seeking his extradition).

"President Erdogan calls me a friend, but this is what the other Balkan presidents call me, too," Borissov said. He pointed out the great importance of the agreement between Bulgaria and Turkey related to the zero migrant pressure on Bulgaria and major investments by Turkish companies. He also said that the MRF has supported the governance on several occasions related to Bulgaria's Euro-Atlantic orientation.

RI/MT
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