site.btaNational Meeting of GERB Changes Party's Statute

July 7 (BTA) - At a national meeting at Sofia's NDK
convention centre on Sunday, the ruling GERB party amended its
Statute and made changes to its Executive Commission. The event
was attended by 1,067 delegates of GERB from across Bulgaria,
making the decisions legitimate.

With 1,046 votes in favour, 10 votes against and 11 abstentions,
 the national meeting of GERB removed Tsvetan Tsvetanov from all
 leading positions in the party - GERB deputy chairman and
Executive Committee deputy chairman - effective May 30, 2019.
That is the date on which Tsvetanov resigned from the positions
in question.

Commenting on his future plans after the national meeting,
Tsvetanov told journalists he is currently in the process of
creating a centre for Euro-Atlantic activity that will make
analyses and forecasts in the security sector.
 
The national meeting also removed Roumyana Buchvarova as member
of the GERB Executive Committee effective April 22, 2019, in
view of her appointment as Bulgarian ambassador to Israel.

On a proposal of GERB leader Boyko Borissov, the party delegates
 elected Tsveta Karayancheva and Todor Stamatov members of the
Executive Committee in the place of Tsvetanov and Buchvarova.

The national meeting also decided to reduce the number of GERB
deputy chairpersons from three to two.

At the start of the forum, in a video address European People's
Party (EPP) President Joseph Daul thanked GERB for its loyal
commitment to the EPP, and described Borissov as a true leader
with a  vision about his country and the EU. Daul also praised
GERB's top-of-the-list candidate in the European Parliament
elections, Mariya Gabriel, for her flawless work as European
Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society.

In his address, Borissov put an emphasis on justice and being
close to the people. In his words, people are sensitive to
justice, therefore the national meeting decided to establish an
ethics commission with GERB. "There will be no mercy for
anyone," Borissov said firmly.

He recalled that at the party's previous conference, he warned
of little blue and red lights that will be turned on if the
party rules and line are not observed. "You did not understand
me, they did not understand me about the guest houses [a recent
scandal involving GERB members where guest houses built on EU
funding apparently never operated as accommodation
establishments but were built as private homes], others did not
understand me, either. At the same time, the party is under the
microscope, it is the most important thing for all, if we want
to survive [as a party]," Borissov argued.

The GERB leader used the forum to give directions about the
local elections in October. In his words, the local
organizations of GERB should carefully review their members
because they are the main ones to nominate candidates. There
could be corrections to the nominees, he added. He also put an
emphasis on meetings with local residents to learn what they
think of GERB's mayors and "whether we have become presumptuous,
 whether we have become a very glossy nomenclature - the moment
people feel this, the party is dead."
 
Borissov also said that in the next days he will convene the
party's Executive Committee to decide what the GERB membership
fee should be, in view of the recent reduction of the  state
subsidy for political parties from 11 leva to 1 lev per valid
vote won at the latest parliamentary elections. According to
him, GERB members at higher positions should pay a higher fee.
 
Borissov also talked about foreign policy matters. In his words,
 Bulgaria has never participated in processes for the creation
of axes in the Balkans. Bulgaria will help its Serbian brothers,
 for example next year the construction of the motorway to
Belgrade will be finished, he said. Borissov also said that he
did not allow Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva to
react more sharply to the words of Serbian Foreign Minister
Ivica Dacic, because Borissov knows how much the Serbians hurt
when it comes to Kosovo. However, if Serbia and Kosovo do not
reach an understanding, there will be no prospects for the
region, the Bulgarian PM argued.
  
Borissov was referring to Saturday's statement by Dacic who
said, as quoted by Serbia's Tanjug news agency, that the
position of the EU is not that Kosovo is independent, and
Bulgarian PM Borissov "who claims it is, should reckon with
this". Later on Saturday, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said
that on an order of Minister Zaharieva, the Serbian Ambassador
to Sofia has been summoned to a meeting at the Ministry on
Monday.

RY/DS

/ДЛ/