site.btaBoyko Borissov Will Receive First Government-forming Mandate - GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Sacheva

GERB leader Boyko Borissov will receive the first government-forming mandate, GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Denitsa Sacheva said, speaking to Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters in Paris on Saturday, President Rumen Radev said that he will begin consultations with the parties in Parliament on Tuesday, ahead of handing the first exploratory mandate.

Sacheva said that they have held a conference, and their position regarding the choice of prime minister-designate was clear. Asked whether they are willing to make concessions on this matter, she said that they “have not yet held talks with anyone to discuss possible concessions”.

She said that GERB-UDF expect Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), the second largest force in Parliament, to “say whether they want a government to be formed or they will keep setting conditions for all sorts of things - who should be the prime minister, what should be signed, what should be done”. Sacheva added that if CC-DB wants “a majority and a stable government”, they should sit at the negotiating table and lay down their conditions there, “not through the media”. In her words, the situation in Bulgaria will improve when they focus on principles.

The GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader said that they are open to talks for stable governance, adding that they are looking at options to form “the possible, not the desired government”. She reiterated her coalition’s stance that possible partners include BSP-United Left, There Is Such A People, and CC-DB.

Sacheva suggested that under new circumstances, there could be a reassessment of GERB’s stance on working with the Socialists despite an earlier decision from the party’s highest body.

If common topics and tasks for a future government are agreed upon during negotiations, “whether we like each other should not be the primary factor” in forming a coalition, Sacheva said when asked about the possibility of a stable cabinet between GERB-UDF and CC-DB. “Bulgaria cannot afford to be an unstable country, heading for new elections, while there are so many conflicts around us”, Sacheva noted. In her words, so far, the second political force has shown political stubbornness rather than political foresight.

She added that the amendments to the Judicial System Act submitted by CC-DB should be analyzed to ensure they do not destabilize the judiciary.