site.btaUPDATED GERB Leader Says Early Elections "Most Likely"

Most likely there will be early elections, GERB leader Boyko Borissov told journalists in Bucharest on Wednesday as he participated in a congress of the European People's Party.

"Denkov came, threw in his resignation, and left with the cabinet so as not to participate in the debates," GERB leader Boyko Borissov said of the cabinet resignation, which was voted on earlier in the day in the National Assembly. "I ask my coalition partners if this is how a government is founded, if this is how criticism is answered," Borissov told journalists.

"If there are no radical reforms in Cabinet, regulators, and the judiciary, we will not participate," Borissov added. With this behaviour today we have been sent into the hands of President Radev, everything now depends on him, he added.

"It depends on President Radev when the elections will be, when the consultations will take place, etc. Because if he was not a gentleman, he could appoint consultations for us tomorrow, he has the right," Borissov said.

According to him, "these people are playing only one game at the moment" - to put the blame on GERB.

He added that GERB-UDF had nominated experts and people to negotiate, but he did not see a positive solution to this rotation cycle. He said the resignation should have been submitted in a few days and until then the negotiations should have continued.

"They provoked this to happen today and there is no hope. They want early elections," Borissov added.

When Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and GERB-UDF proposed a formation of a government on a rotation basis in May 2023, the two political forces said that each rotation will require a resignation of the cabinet. It is the only possible procedure provided for by the Bulgarian Constitution. None of the parties participating in the government has ever indicated that it intends to act otherwise.