site.btaSofia Mayor Terziev Comments on Another Failed Election of Municipal Council Chair

Speaking on bTV on Sunday about the current stalemate in the Sofia Municipal Council, which has so far failed to elect its chair, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said, “Either we will create a working city council or we won't. We have two weeks.” He said the challenge they face is that the interests of all stakeholders do not coincide.

“We continue to believe that Boris Bonev would be extremely good in this role, but as you have seen, the problem is not in Mr. Bonev,” Terziev said. In his words, so far for the seven times the Sofia City Council has voted for a chairman, different candidates and different formulas have been proposed - temporary, rotating, permanent.

“We have tried everything possible just to "unclog" the work for Sofia, but the most important thing is to do it in some principled way. The problem is that we have a principled position. For us it is not important only to elect one person and to have a chairman of the Sofia City Council, for us it is important what it entails,” said Terziev.

Asked where the pressure comes from - whether from GERB, who do not want to revise their governance, or from the coalition partners, Terziev commented that the pressure from partners within the coalition has always been there, but the dialogue is constructive and they have always found a way to move forward. He added that it is more difficult with the other parties outside the coalition.

In his words, the BSP does not have a mandate from the party's national leadership to form a coalition at the local level and work with Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria. Regarding Vazrazhdane, Terziev commented that they offer no alternative and just say, "You find a way, you won the elections".

According to the Sofia Mayor, it is not possible, while one is looking for a solution, for the others to throw stones at them.  

“The prevailing understanding of all involved, in my opinion, is that the city needs a working city council, not new elections,” he added.

“I am hoping that after a few more rounds of talks we can agree on a person to head the city council with an interim position, with clear tasks - passing the budget and passing key reports. It is clear to everyone that there are no prerequisites for a lasting governing majority at the moment,” Terziev said.