site.btaFallout from Announcement of Proposed Government Memorandum: Day Two

The fallout from the announcement of a draft memorandum on the government priorities, which Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) offered Tuesday to their power-sharing partner GERB-UDF, continued for a second day on Thursday. The memorandum dominated the political comments in the corridors of Parliament and the news media.

The memorandum was made public by CC-DB late on Tuesday, was rejected by GERB the next day and was bitterly criticized by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and the Socialist party. There was talk of early elections: two-in-one elections for European Parliament and national parliament in the summer.

The tensions escalated on Thursday with some very unpleasant comments made by some political players. MRF floor leader Delyan Peevski and CC-DB co-floor leader Hristo Ivanov had a head-on collision over the former’s Wednesday remark about the memorandum being an offer for a disgraceful deal for a share-out of the regulators and security services between CC-DB and GERB. Ivanov pointed out that MRF did not see “a disgraceful share-out” when they were included in plans by GERB to share the top positions in the regulators three-ways.

Ivanov said that Peevski’s real complaint is that his party is not included in the memorandum.

CC-DB expressly say in the document that it is meant for them and for GERB-UDF alone. 

Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov expressed hope that the two power-sharing parties will sit down to discuss the proposed memorandum when they cool off after the initial clash.

In a new comment Thursday, GERB leader Boyko Borissov catalogued recent examples of appointments and nominations which go against CC-DB’s own proposal for how such appointments should be made after the rotation. These included the top position in the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (Stanislav Todorov, an MP and “a bright political figure”, to use Borissov’s words); the deputy chair of the State Agency for National Security (an MP and key figure in the CC election campaign); central bank deputy governor Andrey Gurov. “Other than that, it [the memorandum] sounds good and we are all for,” said Borissov.

Delyan Peevski said Thursday: I personally refused to Hristo Ivanov the share-out [of offices] that he offered to me in my own office. He wanted to know for sure who will go in the [new] Supreme Prosecutorial Council so as to make sure his aide Andrei Yankulov from his Anti-Corruption Fund is elected as Prosecutor General and Sava Petrov as Deputy Prosecutor General. Hristo Ivanov and the oligarchs behind him want to take control over the prosecution service. This is the truth: the battle is for the anti-corruption commission and the prosecution service. The oligarchs wants to capture the State – this is what is happening. […] What is their problem with MRF? In the course of nine months, Hristo Ivanov kept coming to my office, drank fat Turkish coffee and sat in my lap. They all kept coming to see me, one after the other, until we made the changes [to the Constitution] that are important for Bulgaria, and we made them for the people. Now he tells me in a Dnevnik interview that he will bring up the issue of MRF again. What issue is that, Hristo, my friend? That MRF is the most nationally responsible party and has been supporting this government for nine months and if it wasn’t for us, there would have been no government. The masks must come off, Hristo! I want you to know that, my friend. Everything is over, I can see right through you!

Hristo Ivanov said Thursday: We are trying to talk to GERB about really important things such as reforms, regulators, the fight against corruption, and suddenly Delyan Peevski goes off with a firework of tasteless vulgarities. If someone wonders where the problem is, Peevski made it clear: MRF wants to be a hidden partner of GERB in the distribution [of offices] and does not want any clear rules and regulations, and clear political responsibility shared between the two political formations that are responsible for the government, GERB - UDF and CC-DB. It is in MRF's interest to try to change how it is positioned domestically and internationally by supporting the constitutional reform, which was wise on their part. Now Peevski is in a position to blow up all this capital with his new tantrum. We have not used anyone, nor have they used us, contrary to what they have been insinuating. We have done a job that is good for the country, and the question now is how to take the next steps: the election of an anti-corruption commission, regulators, a judiciary bill. It is these important issues that CC-DB wants to discuss with GERB-UDF.

As for Peevski's allegations about lobbying to make Andrei Yankulov of the Anti-Corruption Fund prosecutor general, Ivanov explained that he had not discussed that and that the next prosecutor general is for the Supreme Prosecutorial Council (SPC) to elect. For Ivanov, an important political issue is how this Council will be elected. “If someone in the future SPC chooses someone with the profile of Yankulov, I think it would be very good for Bulgaria,” said Ivanov.

He commented also that the content of the memorandum is not new and “each of these issues have been discussed for months, but somehow we have not been able to engage GERB-UDF with a clear position”. “We want to talk with arguments, with concrete proposals, if there is something they do not like, they should say what specifically they propose.” 

He noted that even if this country goes to early parliamentary elections, the decisions proposed in the memorandum will have to be taken. “In that sense, we better show a little bit of cool and reason now, let's reach an agreement.”

He confirmed that Nikolay Denkov will resign on March 6, as he has repeatedly stated. A scenario where Parliament rejects the resignation would be absurd and it would be very hard to explain it politically, which is why Ivanov expects the MPs to accept the resignation.

The assessment of all ministers’ performance will come from the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Ivanov said.

CC-DB co-floor leader Kiril Petkov urged GERB to sit down to discuss the proposed memorandum or propose a different text. “We need to take a step forward in changing the institutions. We want to make sure all processes follow an established procedure and all politicians give up the political appointments in the regulators.  We want to have a genuine reform in the judicial system, which would mean that all us give up control in the Supreme Judicial Council,” said he.