site.btaGERB-UDF Launches Election Campaign

Opening the campaign of GERB-UDF for the June 9 national parliament and European elections, GERB leader Boyko Borissov Thursday told sympathizers in Stara Zagora: "We need a compelling lead to impose our programme and our concept, and end the hiatus."

Even the most ardent supporters [of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, CC-DB] cannot deny that nothing happened in the last three years, Borissov said. He was apparently referring to the three years since Continue the Change entered politics and formed a coalition government with three parties, including DB.

"Even our pride, the new Constitution, is going through a debacle, Borissov added. "When this Constitution was being drafted, we, CC-DB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms thought we would run the country for at least 10 years en bloc," he said.

He said GERB had pledged to provide BGN 200 million for Stara Zagora Region and the financing would be administered by a state-owned company.

He reiterated that he had done his best to spare the country early elections.

Borissov referred to former deputy prime minister and foreign minister Mariya Gabriel as a "white swallow" in the Nikolay Denkov government, adding that she had done much about foreign policy, strategic planning and Bulgaria's efforts to enter the Schengen border-free area.

GERB-UDF and CC-DB had agreed in June 2023 that Gabriel and Denkov would switch places as foreign minister and prime minister after nine months.The rotation was due to take place on March 6, 2024, but the arrangement failed, thus precipitating early parliamentary elections.

Borissov gave high marks to GERB's MEPs of the last five years, saying that they topped the list for the European elections.