site.btaUPDATED GERB to Decide Whether It Will Continue Supporting Government after Local Runoff Election

GERB will hold a national council after the second round of the local elections on Sunday to decide whether to continue to support the government, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said in a Facebook broadcast. He was speaking in Lovech (north-central Bulgaria).

"To me the "assemblage" (a word that is often used to refer the informal coalition between the powerholders) does not exist at the moment because of the unprincipled behaviour of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB). They call on everyone to go against GERB. I know where their buddies and friends are, they meet in villas and pubs secretly - let them do it. I don't see the point of meeting them anymore. On Wednesday, I will hold a national meeting to decide whether we need to be together anymore," Borissov said.

"When I listen to their nonsense, I don't even know if Parliament will start next week," Borissov said.

"Long before the Sofia elections, we offered CC-DB to nominate a candidate other than the State Security family [referring to CC-DB's candidate for Sofia mayor Vassil Terziev and his family's history as being part of the communist regime's repressive security apparatus) and for GERB not to nominate a candidate. I even called on Kiril Petkov to run for Sofia mayor, assuring him that we will not nominate a candidate," Borissov said.

He criticized the decision of the Council of Ministers to approve the purchase of Stryker armoured vehicles without Parliament's explicit decision.

"Everything good that happened in the National Assembly regarding the Euro-Atlantic orientation [of Bulgaria] happened thanks to GERB. Yesterday [Wednesday], the Council of Ministers voted for the strykers without a decision of the National Assembly, this is a legal case and a violation. They did it just to show off," Borissov added.

Speaking in the northern city of Pleven later on Thursday, Borissov said that the so-called 'assemblage' is not working at all and should not continue in its current form. He said that he will convene a national meeting of his party on Wednesday. "I will ask the party what it allows me and what it does not, and how we shall proceed," Borissov said.