site.btaBSP-United Left Discusses Priorities with Vazrazhdane, MECh

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)-United Left coalition held a meeting with representatives of Vazrazhdane and Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) in Parliament on Tuesday, making an attempt to break the stalemate in the process of electing National Assembly Chairperson. On Friday, once again, the 51st National Assembly failed to elect a Chair. It was the fifth attempt at the end of the second week of work of the new Parliament.

BSP-United Left invited to the meeting a total of five political formations in Parliament: Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), Vazrazhdane, the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF), There Is Such a People (TISP) and MECh, to seek agreement on key priorities for the work of the National Assembly. Only Vazrazhdane and MECh responded to the invitation. 

The BSP-United Left said that they are not negotiating to form a government with the GERB-Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) coalition and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)-New Beginning party.

Borislav Gutsanov of BSP-United Left explained that they have received a letter from CC-DB saying that the CC-DB representatives are open to a meeting with the socialists but have a coalition meeting on Tuesday. BSP-United Left also received a letter from ARF, which stated that they had supported the candidacies of Natalia Kisselova of BSP-United Left and Silvi Kirilov of TISP in the past five election attempts and would continue to do so in the upcoming ones. TISP declined the meeting invitation, Gutsanov stressed.

BSP-United Left Chair Atanas Zafirov said that Tuesday's meeting sets the start of some kind of a reasonable dialogue between parliamentary political forces. Zafirov declared the socialists' readiness to discuss National Assembly Chair candidacies different from Kisselova and to form a working majority.

Petar Petrov of Vazrazhdane asked if BSP-United Left can make a coalition decision to support another candidate. "Let us try something else, let us think about putting forward someone else to the run-off round," he urged. Gutsanov answered that BSP-United Left were ready to discuss such an option, that they are ready to withdraw their candidacy.

MECh leader Radostin Vassilev said that a broad majority should be sought against MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski and GERB leader Boyko Borissov. Vassilev commented that both Petar Petrov and Natalia Kisselova are better candidates than Silvi Kirilov. He added that MECh are willing to support any candidate who runs against the status quo.

According to Aleksandar Tomov of BSP-United Left, the possibilities to form a six-party ruling coalition have not been exhausted. He urged the meeting attendees to overcome their differences with CC-DB because, in his words, without CC-DB there is no majority.