site.btaCC-DB Ask GERB to Offer Exit from Crisis “They Created”, GERB Expects “Political Apology” from CC-DB

Thursday did not produce a solution to the crisis caused by the rift between GERB-UDF and Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), until recently the two power-sharing partners in Bulgaria’s government. CC-DB asked GERB to offer an exit from the crisis “they have created” and said that a government with Mariya Gabriel at the helm was unlikely, but GERB took a firm stance in support of Gabriel, who is their prime minister-designate, saying they expect “a political apology” for what they see as insults against her.

Here is what happened on March 19 and 20:

•    GERB-UDF Prime Minister-designate Mariya Gabriel took to President Rumen Radev a proposal for a government lineup after he mandated her a day earlier to try to form a government. The proposed lineup had most of the ministers of the Nikolay Denkov Cabinet, in which GERB-UDF and CC-DB shared the power.

•    Shortly after that it transpired that Gabriel had not secured the consent of CC-DB for her proposal and a rift between the two coalitions ensued - bringing even more uncertainty about the future of the Bulgarian government. CC co-leader and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said that Mariya Gabriel has emerged as “the beautiful face of Bulgarian Mafia”.

•    The next day Denkov said that the talks with GERB-UDF should continue because the alternative is chaos in the country.

•    GERB leader Boyko Borissov said that for any talks to resume between GERB and CC-DB, Assen Vassilev should apologize to Gabriel for calling her “the beautiful face of Bulgaria's mafia”.

•    Vassilev said in a TV interview that he apologizes to Gabriel as a woman but not as the prime minister-designate. He ruled out backing a government on the GERB mandate.

CC-DB Says Next Steps Is GERB's Responsibility

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Thursday told GERB that the next steps in the efforts to form a government is GERB's responsibility. "Dear colleagues in GERB-UDF, it is your responsibility to say how we can continue from here on. You acted unilaterally and at variance of all agreements - and the confidence given to you for the fulfillment of a joint mandate [for formation of a government with CC-DB]. Take the responsibility for your actions and propose a plan that is adequate to the crisis you have created. The next move is yours," the leadership of CC-DB said in a position made public by the coalition's press office. 

The statement reads that CC-DB are aware of the need to have a regular government to implement the reforms outlined in the draft agreement between CC-DB and GERB-UDF. CC-DB say that they remain accountable to the fate of the country and are ready to share the responsibility for joint governance, which can only happen if the formula of trust is restored and the implementation of reforms is guaranteed. 

The party says they viewed Nikolay Denkov and Mariya Gabriel as guarantors of the formula's implementation and have invested huge efforts in building trust in their integrity and sustainability. On March 19, 2024, Gabriel returned a fulfilled mandate without a final signed agreement on joint governance and without a final agreed composition of the Council of Ministers. This action has drastically broken the formula of trust and puts the country in the face of a new political crisis, the statement said. 

The text also reiterates that fulfilling a mandate to form a cabinet requires confidence in the figure of the prime minister, a fundamental prerequisite in the Constitution. "In the last nine months, we have begun to build a basic trust on a few fundamental principles: mandates are implemented as national, which means joint; all decisions on the composition of the Council of Ministers are to be taken jointly by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister; all compromises are justified only insofar as they guarantee reforms and are in the interest of society as a whole," the position read.

Outgoing PM Denkov Expects Invitation from GERB to Renew Government Talks

Outgoing Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov told reporters in Brussels on Thursday that he expects an invitation from GERB to renew talks on government formation. 

Denkov said: "All negotiation opportunities should be used for the first mandate. It should be seen as national. We need to stabilize the political situation again and re-enter a process of negotiations that will bring us to a positive outcome." He reported that Bulgaria's European partners are concerned that the situation may be destabilizing.

Denkov said that GERB-UDF broke off the negotiations, which is why GERB-UDF must suggest a way to proceed. He added: "The biggest problem today is that the trust that I personally expressed towards [outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister-designate] Mariya Gabriel was broken." He did not specify whether he sees a scenario where Gabriel becomes the new Prime Minister. Denkov said: "I cannot imagine any explanation for what happened other than that Mariya Gabriel was under heavy pressure from other people, and she gave in. This is a problem."

Denkov was adamant that that any changes related to the government rotation should be approved by both sides - GERB-UDF and CC-DB. "We need to try to converge our positions, not [set] ultimatums," he said.

The Prime Minister also addressed the case of CC's outgoing Finance Minister Assen Vassilev calling Gabriel "the beautiful face of the Mafia" on Tuesday and GERB's demanding an apology. Denkov said: "Let me remind you that I have been personally insulted many times by various politicians: [Movement for Rights and Freedoms co-leader] Delyan Peevski, [GERB-UDF MP] Delyan Dobrev, including Mr Borissov [GERB-UDF leader Boyko Borissov] recently. You have never heard me ask for an apology, because politics is no place for such games. We are not in kindergarten. We need to find a solution, we need to return to the negotiating table, finish [the negotiations], so that Bulgaria has a government."

GERB Firmly Behind Mariya Gabriel's Nomination for PM, Demand Public Apology from CC-DB

“GERB firmly backs Mariya Gabriel and does not stand back from her nomination for prime minister! Talks would only be possible after an immediate public political apology and Assen Vassilev’s withdrawal from the [government-forming] negotiations and from his participation in a possible future cabinet!,” reads GERB’s response on their Facebook page.

According to GERB, “the responsibility to declare how we could proceed is mutual”. GERB argued that CC-DB have acted emotionally and irrationally and disregarded all agreements reached so far on the formation of a government on a joint mandate. GERB urged CC-DB to take responsibility for Assen Vassilev’s actions, distance themselves from him, so that they can draft a plan together that would be appropriate for addressing the crisis “that you purposefully created. It’s your turn now!” reads GERB’s statement.

GERB leader Boyko Borissov Thursday told journalists in Parliament that government formation will not happen with the mandate of CC-DB. 

He said that his party has proposed only a prime minister. According to Borissov, CC-DB do not want a government and think that it will happen with the second exploratory mandate (to be given to CC-DB), but Borissov said that GERB is adamant that it will not happen. 

"Instead of apologising, [CC-DB] they went even further," Borissov said. 

Borissov said that CC-DB have another day to reconsider their decision not to back Gabriel's proposed cabinet lineup.

Asked if GERB was ready to take back Mariya Gabriel and propose another prime minister, Borissov said "why should we give up on Mariya Gabriel because one person has insulted her". "A person who thanks to us is finance minister [Assen Vassilev]. Thanks to our support, we defended him for nine months from all of you who attacked him," Borissov added.

Borissov said that his explanation is that "Vassilev has found the perfect time to defect and in a way to unite all those who do not love us [GERB]". According to Borissov, Vassilev is "extremely smart", and wants to become "the leader of those who do not love GERB". 

Borissov further said that Vassilev is doing "magic tricks" in finance, after which the country has to return money from the state budget under the national recovery and resilience plan. The GERB leader said that namely for those magic tricks his party decided to keep him as finance minister in their cabinet lineup, so that he fixes the mess that he has left in the sector. Borissov said that Vassilev has to "fix this mess because the International Monetary Fund in its report says that taxes should be raised". Borissov also criticized the financial management of the energy sector. 

GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Sacheva Says CC-DB Were Trying to Sabotage Rotation of Prime Ministers from Very Beginning

GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Denitsa Sacheva and part of the party's negotiating team told Nova TV on Thursday that Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) have been trying to sabotage the rotation of prime ministers from the very beginning and lead Bulgaria to another crisis, destroying the little existing balance. GERB's Raya Nazaryan, also part of the negotiating team, told bTV that an agreement between CC-DB and GERB-UDF was approved by Hristo Ivanov of DB and signed by GERB's Mariya Gabriel, but not by the leaders of CC-DB.

She said that her party will not negotiate with CC-DB when they receive the second government formation mandate. "It is absurd to talk about any government in which Assen Vassilev participates," she added. Sacheva said that the position of GERB-UDF is to work for a government with the first mandate and Prime Minister-designate Mariya Gabriel. 

Nazaryan said that three options for the reform of the special services were discussed, and in the end it was agreed that there would be no deadline. "It is about a bill that was written by Hristo Ivanov and Kiril Petkov. We agree that there should be reforms in the services. The only thing we are not sure and cannot agree on is on the appropriate deadline, because this reform is very profiled and special, she stressed.

Nazaryan said that on the day (Tuesday) when the fulfilled mandate was returned to President Rumen Radev, GERB-UDF and CC-DB were negotiating until noon. She said that on Monday GERB-UDF together with CC-DB promised the president that in 24 hours they will return the mandate fulfilled. "We understood that this is the agreement and this is the composition, that time is running out. They knew that the folder of names would be carried. These are the names that have been commented on for 10 days, every single one has been approved," she said.