site.btaUPDATED On Day 2 of President's Consultations, Vazrazhdane Leader Says Majority Government Possible with Parties Other than GERB, MRF

On Day 2 of President Rumen Radev's meetings with the parliamentary groups as a step towards the formation of a government, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said it is possible to form a majority government backed by 125 MPs from groups other than GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) in the 240-seat Parliament. Kostadinov said voters in the June 9 snap elections had pointed to a way out of the current political situation by sending more parties which will not back a government of GERB and MRF.

Opening the meeting, Radev said the low voter turnout had put to the test the political parties and the legitimacy of all institutions. He asked the MPs about possible ways to deal with voter apathy. He also asked Vazrazhdane to comment on GERB-UDF's statement they were ready to propose a minority government if they failed to achieve a majority in Parliament. Kostadinov was adamant that his party would not back a minority government nominated by GERB, adding that Vazrazhdane was not afraid of new elections and even wanted them in the autumn.

Kostadinov also said that if the two largest groups, GERB-UDF and MRF, failed to form a government, Vazrazhdane would accept the third mandate and talk with the parliamentary groups except those two on the formation of a broad-based government with a consensual prime minister. He said voter apathy and the low turnout were partly due to GERB and MRF, which he said were "a very serious problem in the functioning of the Bulgarian political system". He said Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) supporters obviously could not forgive the coalition's collaboration with GERB and MRF.

For his part, Radev said the 125-seat majority referred to by Kostadinov lost 38 MPs on Monday after CC-DB said they would not back a government proposed by Vazrazhdane due to insurmountable differences. The President suggested that since Vazrazhdane want to get the third mandate, they could talk with the political forces about forming a coalition against GERB and MRF. "Once we see the results, we can discuss the matter," the President said, adding that he hoped to be familiarized with the outcome.

The President also asked if the party would seek a majority or a government involving the smallest group, Velichie, which Vazrazhdane claimed was under foreign influence. Kostadinov replied that their proposal was a stress test of the Bulgarian political system to see whether the masks were falling off after all parties stated during the election campaign that they would not run the country with GERB and MRF.

On Monday, Radev met with representatives of the three largest groups: GERB-UDF, MRF and CC-DB. GERB leader Boyko Borissov mentioned a minority government of GERB as an option. MRF reaffirmed support for a GERB government, while CC-DB remained determined to be in opposition.

The first two government mandates are bound to go to the two largest groups in Parliament, first to GERB-UDF and if it fails, to MRF. Under the Constitution, if they fail to form a government, the President mandates a third parliamentary group at his discretion. If it fails too, a caretaker government is appointed and parliamentary elections are scheduled within two months.

Kostadinov on possible coalition against GERB, MRF

After the meeting with Radev, Kostadinov told reporters Vazrazhdane had talked with ranking members of CC-DB and it was up to them to decide if they will back a coalition against GERB and MRF. "We have extended a hand," he said. Either CC-DB accept the option of a joint cabinet of consensual figures against GERB and MRF, in the name of Bulgaria, or they give power to GERB and MRF, he said.

With 38 MPs each, Vazrazhdane and CC-DB rank third in Parliament.

Right now, there will either be a government which will exclude GERB and MRF and will normalize the political system at least partly, or GERB and MRF will form a government which will "turn off the power" of the political system, Kostadinov said.

He said MRF would be the leading partner in a coalition with GERB. "MRF creates separate enclaves where the police, the prosecuting magistracy, the court and the municipal authorities are in their hands. If this is multiplied at the national level, it will be end of the Republic of Bulgaria."

"From the very beginning, when we said we wanted the third mandate, we stated the formula for success. When two political parties argue, the arbiter is the Bulgarian people. When there are different opinions, it is the Bulgarian people who give preference to one or the other. Between elections, this is done through referendums. That is why the best functioning political systems are those which regularly hold referendums to reduce confrontation," said Kostadinov.