site.btaGERB-UDF's Prime Minister Nomination Fails in Parliament

Bulgaria's Parliament Wednesday denied approval to Prime Minister-designate Rosen Zhelyazkov, thus practically terminating the constitutional procedure for the formation of a cabinet on the first mandate.

Zhelyazkov was designated by GERB-UDF, the largest parliamentary group, and announced that he was ready with a government structure and lineup as soon as President Rumen Radev mandated him to form a cabinet on July 1.

The vote was 138 against, 98 in favour, and 2 abstentions. All 68 GERB-UDF MPs backed the PM designate. The vote of the 45 MPs of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) was split: 30 in favour, 14 against and one abstention. All 39 MPs of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) voted against, as did all 38 MPs of Vazrazhdane, all 18 MPs of BSP for Bulgaria, all 16 MPs of There Is Such a People (TISP), all 13 MPs of Velichie, and 2 of the 3 independents.

To be elected, the prime minister designate needed the affirmative vote of more than a half of the MPs attending the plenary sitting.

Cabinet Structure, Lineup, PM Nomination Presented

Before his nomination was put to the vote, Zhelyazkov presented the structure, lineup and priorities of the party's cabinet proposal. He said his proposed cabinet aims to restore effective governance.

The PM-designate pointed out that the turnout at the 1990 parliamentary elections was 83%, while in the 2024 elections it plummeted to 34%. "Four elections: three parliamentary and one presidential elections were held om 2021. On average, elections have been held every six months for the past three years. All of this has put off the public, which has become apathetic and no longer has trust to give," he said. "This is the reaction of the people. There are two paths ahead. One is clear, it is the path of division. The other is difficult, because the path of unity is always difficult, but it is necessary because of the major tasks that lie ahead for the country for the good of the people," GERB-UDF's Prime Minister-designate said. 

"To overcome this trend, I propose the formation of a government with a clear political mandate and priorities for the protection and development of our national interests, including through Bulgaria's belonging to the European value system based on our membership in the EU and NATO," he said.

"I presented a cabinet structure and composition with no assured majority, neither political nor floating. This cabinet will exercise executive power as a minority cabinet, we will implement a programme with policies aimed at making up for lost time, minimizing the damage to date and focusing on public economic development," Zhelyazkov said. "We will achieve it together, with modernization, digitalization, industrial and infrastructural development, restart of major infrastructure projects and their completion, increasing labour productivity with a change in the product structure to one with higher added value. Digitalization not only as modernization, but also as a tool for efficiency of public processes, reduction of administrative and corruption burden," he added.

"We will dedicate a major part of our policies to education and labour market," he explained.

The PM-designate also pointed to specific resources to tackle unemployment, linked to qualification or certification of work skills, attracting labour from the Bulgarian diaspora and third countries. "We will prioritize sound and sustainable reform of institutions with a focus on citizens, their interests and the need to set and achieve justice and fairness, in line with the constitutional order and with broad public participation," Zhelyazkov said. 

He pointed out that one of the main functions of the parties is to elect politically prepared, professionally competent people who will materialize public trust with results. "That is why my proposed composition of the Council of Ministers is not one of the next ministers but one of the vetted ministers. That is why I pledge that if we are trusted, I and my colleagues will work hard, honestly and with integrity to ensure that Bulgaria regains its self-confidence and respect," he said.

GERB-UDF MP Temenuzhka Petkova presented Zhelyazkov's nomination, arguing that he possesses "extremely high moral and professional qualities and is distinguished by his willingness to dialogue". Petkova pointed out that if Zhelyazkov is elected, he will be "a truly worthy prime minister of Bulgaria". 

Round-up of Comments

President Rumen Radev who, together with Vice President Iliana Iotova and other senior officials and foreign diplomats attended the plenary sitting during the vote on the cabinet proposal, told reporters in Parliament's lobby that "personal attacks dominated over political theses during the debate on GERB-UDF’s proposed cabinet". "The political crisis continues and its solution requires not only putting aside personal and partisan interests, but also demands adequacy," the head of State stressed. In his words, "the MPs focused on the past, not on the present and the future." Radev noted that everyone should be strictly guided by the law. "That is why I will strictly follow the constitutional procedure," he said, adding that journalists will be informed when the second exploratory mandate will be handed.

Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev was reluctant to comment on the parliamentary debate on the proposed cabinet. "I have seen it before, nothing new has happened", he told journalists. "There are two more cabinet-forming mandates," the PM said, asked how long he expected to keep his job. "I am fulfilling my constitutional duties and I cannot predict how long it can continue", he added.

Commenting on the result of the vote, Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Floor Leader Delyan Peevski said that "Russia won today". "Bulgaria missed a unique opportunity to have a Euro-Atlantic government," he argued, adding that it has already become clear that the second cabinet-forming mandate will prove unsuccessful and GERB will not support a third one. In his words, the country is heading towards elections. Regarding the vote of his parliamentary group, he noted that "the MRF has 30 Euro-Atlantic MPs, and they will be MPs".

Assen Vassilev MP of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) was skeptical about the chances of a third cabinet-forming mandate to succeed. "The possibility of a third mandate remains highly unlikely, and it would be wrong anyway for a third, fourth, fifth, or sixth party with 30 MPs to form a cabinet," Vassilev added. "I believe we should consider that, for the first time, we witnessed a significant split in the MRF group during such an important vote. In recent years, Bulgaria has been held back by the actions of two influential figures: one hindered by split loyalties and the other driven by political ambitions. We have noticed that the ambitious one is beginning to fail in his pursuits," Vassilev said. "Pursuing anti-corruption policies similar to those in European nations is essential for achieving higher income levels in our country, and this is clearly the direction our citizens want to follow," he said. In Vassilev's opinion, MRF co-chair Peevski dominates the justice system, leaving GERB leader Borissov reliant on Peevski's sway over the prosecution service and the judiciary.

Newly elected Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil, who was among the dignitaries attending Wednesday's plenary sitting, said that he prays to God to bring an understanding in truth and in what is useful. "We all need to be humble. The National Assembly has sent the MPs here. Democracy is about debates, decisions," the Patriarch commented.