site.btaBorissov, Petkov, Peevski Comment on Post-Election Governance Options

GERB leader Boyko Borissov, Continue the Change (CC) co-leader Kiril Petkov and Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Chair Delyan Peevski commented to journalists in Parliament Friday on the chances of a regular cabinet being formed after the June 9, 2024 early parliamentary elections and its possible options. They also discussed Rosen Zhelyazkov's premature ouster as National Assembly Chair on April 25 and whether there is a way to repatch the now broken up "assemblage".

"Assemblage" is a word that became a household name for an informal power-sharing arrangement between the two largest parliamentary parties, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and GERB-UDF, which existed from June 2023 to April 2024.

Borissov described his party's relationship with CC-DB as "congealed" due to Zhelyazkov's early ouster, in addition to the other divisive issues. In the GERB leader's words, this ouster has made any further talks impossible, which prompts him to believe that further caretaker cabinets may intervene before a regular government has been formed.

He was also adamant that GERB cannot possibly share power with MRF alone after the elections if no other parties lend their support to a stable coalition, depending on the voting results. Borissov did not rule out the possibility of a different configuration in the next Parliament, considering Vanya Grigorova's bid to enter politics.

In the November 2023 local elections, Grigorova was a close runner-up for Sofia mayor, and she is now standing for Parliament as part of a Left coalition.

"From now on, Bulgaria cannot possibly have normal governance unless Boyko Borissov's dependence on Delyan Peevski is severed," Kiril Petkov retorted promptly. In his words, "Peevski is like a millstone around Borissov's neck and has him in a chokehold".

"I am certain that Rosen Zhelyazkov would not have violated the Constitution and the rules if he acted of his own free will," said the CC co-leader. In his opinion, Peevski simply does not want to relinquish his constant control over the prosecution service, the regulators, the judicial system, and just everything else.

"Kiril Petkov is like a cute lapdog who will soon be begging for a treat at the door in Bankya," Peevski reacted, referring to Borissov's home in that suburb of Sofia.