site.btaUPDATED CC-DB Say They Have Not Endorsed Gabriel Cabinet, Many Ministers-designate Have Not Agreed to Participate

After a meeting of its parliamentary groups, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) said at a news conference that they have not endorsed the government lineup proposed earlier on Tuesday by GERB Prime Minister-designate Mariya Gabriel. Outgoing Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said that many of the nominated ministers have not agreed to participate in this cabinet, including himself.

The briefing was also attended by the ministers who represent the CC-DB in the cabinet lineup.

"I do not want to be nominated to this Council of Ministers," Denkov was adamant. He said that the proposed cabinet lineup was not coordinated with CC-DB's negotiating team. "I have prepared a declaration that I do not want to be nominated in this composition," he added. Denkov also noted that there is also no consensus on an agreement between GERB-UDF and CC-DB. 

"There is no decision of our collective bodies of the CC-DB to participate in this cabinet," he said, adding that they have explicitly told their colleagues from GERB-UDF that once the negotiations are over, they need a few hours to make a decision. 

"We were ready to negotiate until we reached an agreement, GERB left the negotiations and went to the President," Denkov said. "All this leads us to believe that there was no real intention to negotiate," he underlined. 

"Mariya Gabriel succumbed to the pressure of Borissov and [Movement for Rights and Freedoms Co-Chair Delyan] Peevski," said CC Co-Chair Kiril Petkov.

"We are witnessing one of the biggest forgeries in the modern Bulgarian history," said CC Co-Chair Assen Vassilev. "Such a thing has never happened - to be listed as a minister in a cabinet without my consent. This is an insolent, arrogant and outrageous act, which no person who strives to become prime minister of a country can afford," he added.

Justice Minister-designate Atanas Slavov said that there is a grave violation of the Constitution. "Handing an exploratory mandate with the names of ministerial nominees who have not given their consent is a serious violation of the constitutional model and constitutional procedure," he said.

Democrats for Strong Bulgaria Leader Atanas Atanasov, who is among the leaders of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, called on President Rumen Radev to withdraw his decree proposing to Parliament to elect GERB-UDF's Prime Minister-Designate Mariya Gabriel and on Parliament Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov not to include the vote in the National Assembly agenda.

"Mr. President, half of the people you have listed as ministerial nominees have not given their consent. That being the case, you risk being involved in a breach of the Constitution. We urge you to withdraw your decree," Atanasov said.

"We were trying to find a compromise, but [Movement for Rights and Freedoms Co-leader Delyan] Peevski and [GERB Leader] Borissov spoiled everything," said Hristo Ivanov, leader of Yes Bulgaria, which is part of the right-wing Democratic Bulgaria coalition. "We do not have a signed agreement. They cannot show you a signed agreement," Ivanov noted.

Remarks by Mariya Gabriel for the press on her way out of the President's Office offered her take on what happened at the talks between GERB-UDF and CC-DB. She said that she signed a governance agreement with CC-DB two days ago. Raya Nazaryan of GERB's negotiating team clarified that the document was approved by DB co-leader Hristo Ivanov at 6pm on Monday but the other CC-DB co-leaders - Atanas Atanassov of DB and Kiril Petkov and Assen Vassilev of CC - refused to sign it.

Gabriel also said that during the negotiations they came to a text for an agreement where GERB-UDF and CC-DB had no differences regarding the judicial reform, the regulators and counter-corruption efforts.