site.btaUPDATED GERB Authorizes Its Leader to Propose Coalition Agreement to Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria

The power-sharing GERB party Tuesday authorized its leader Boyko Borissov to propose a coalition agreement to Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), its partner in the government to date. Borissov presented the contemplated agreement at the party's National Conference in the presence of the party top leadership, MPs, regional coordinators, mayors and local GERB leaders. 

It comes halfway through the government tenure which GERB and Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) agreed to share with a rotation of the Prime Minister - and possibly some government ministers - after the first nine months. 

GERB deputy leader Tomislav Donchev, who was the first to speak at the National Conference, said a rotiation would make no sense if everything else stays unchanged. He said that it takes rules, order and guarantees that the government will work and achieve results "for the people". "If we go nine months back, we will see that we did not have any other option, if we wanted to emerge from the endless cycle of early elections. But if we ask ourselves if it was worth it, my fear if that the answer will be negative," he said. 

He argued that the government has no major accomplishments other than those of Mariya Gabriel. 

As he briefed the National Conference on the prepared agreement, Borissov said that they called it "an agreement" as they wanted to avoid the tone of an ultimatum or any hint of pressure. 

He also said that GERB's negotiating team will be headed by Mariya Gabriel and will include Raya Nazaryan, Temenuzhka Petkova and Denitsa Sacheva.

Borissov believes that "the question about the composition of the Commission for the Protection of Competition, the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, the Financial Supervision Commission and the Communications Regulation Commission can be resolved immediately". 

He said that "100% of the important government functions have been usurped by Continue the Change" and urged Democratic Bulgaria to think about that. Also, he said that Finance Minister Assen Vassilev has failed to deliver on his promises about the financing of municipalities

Borissov warned Gabriel that "if she accepts to be Prime Minister with this Finance Minister, they will fail her in a matter of months". "These people who are watching you now and put their trust in you, they will be first to turn against you because they will think that you have betrayed us. With such a cabinet, you will fail, and if you do, we will crash because we will have no instruments to explain to our voters," said Borissov.

Of Kiril Petkov, who is co-leader of Continue the Change together with Assen Vassilev, he said that they did much together and mentioned the assistance for Ukraine, the judicial reform, the changes in the Constitution and the budget for municipalities.

"We tried this government format for nine months. Now, we either do something real or go to elections", said Borissov.

If GERB-UDF and CC-DB fail to reach an agreement, the country will likely hold early general elections together with the European Parliament election this summer.