site.btaUPDATED Party Leaders Comment on Tenth Failed Attempt to Elect Parliament Chair

Following the tenth unsuccessful attempt of MPs to elect a National Assembly chair on Thursday, the leaders of the parliamentary forces commented on what happened in the plenary hall.

Once again, Nataliya Kiselova of the BSP - United Left coalition and Silvi Kirilov of There Is Such a People (TISP) were the nominees who reached the run-off vote. Neither of them received the necessary number of votes in favour to become Parliament chair. For the first time, Kiselova received support from the MRF – New Beginning.

MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski told journalists that his group’s members voted in favour of Kiselova to unblock Parliament’s work and so that the Bulgarian citizens would not have to watch “this embarrassment” anymore. However, the other MPs simply do not want there to be a National Assembly chair; they are gaining time for a new party, he argued. Peevski called on the new political project to come already and new snap elections to be held. Asked whether MRF – New Beginning will back Kiselova at the next attempt to elect a chair of the National Assembly on Friday, he said: “Tomorrow is for tomorrow.”

GERB leader Boyko Borissov told journalists he did not know about MRF – New Beginning’s support for Kiselova and was surprised by it, because thus far that formation did not vote for any candidate. “There is an Euro-Atlantic majority to which I will stick from here onwards,” he said. In his words, BSP-United Left had not informed him of a majority different than that with Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF). Asked whether GERB might vote for CC-DB's candidate on Friday, Borissov said it was possible; it was also possible for the formation to back Silvi Kirilov but after talks with BSP, "so that it does not turn out that I support them today but I do not tomorrow about something on which we have reached an agreement."

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov commented that there were two conclusions from Thursday’s vote: there is a sanitary cordon around CC-DB and a new political force in Parliament, BSP – New Beginning. He said he did not know what the explanation for MRF – New Beginning’s support for Kiselova could be. “Perhaps today due to the impasse at which the Bulgarian Parliament has been for a month now, certain dependencies yet again became visible that would otherwise have remained invisible,” Kostadinov told journalists. "If there is anything positive in what has been happening in the Bulgarian Parliament in the last four weeks, it is that a lot of masks have fallen and continue to fall," he noted.

Stanislav Balabanov MP of There Is Such a People (TISP) commented that Peevski’s candidate for Parliament chair is called Nataliya Kiselova. “It is no coincidence that BSP has been called BSP – New Beginning.  Today all of these doubts in the public space were confirmed, and thus the dreams of CC-DB for someone outside of TISP to sign their declaration for a sanitary cordon [around Peevski and his MRF - New Beginning] crumbled entirely,” Balabanov said. In his words, it was proven yet again that the only independent candidate without any influence behind them, is Silvi Kirilov. TISP’s nomination continues to be the only way out of the political situation. “Unfortunately, the long arm of the MRF has embraced BSP and destroyed them,” he added. 

BSP-United Left leader Atanas Zafirov told journalists that his formation has not met with MRF – New Beginning and has not requested their support. “Our signatures under CC-DB’s declaration [for a sanitary cordon] are a fact. What we witnessed is an attempt to blow up the negotiations we are conducting for the election of a chairperson,” he argued.

Ivaylo Mirchev MP of CC-DB told journalists that his formation had not been informed before the run-off vote that BSP–United Left had signed CC-DB’s declaration. In Mirchev's words, BSP at first explained to CC-DB that they have to talk with GERB, who on Thursday supported Kiselova, to see if GERB agree the Left to sign CC-DB's declaration. Afterwards, in the plenary hall, the Socialists told the MPs of CC-DB that for now, they cannot sign the document.

CC-DB co-leader Kiril Petkov wrote on Facebook later in the day that for the first time in the history of parliamentarism, the first political force is doing everything possible not to have a working National Assembly. "Peevski and Borissov are playing chess, in which the pawn [acting Prosecutor General] Sarafov becomes Prosecutor General and Bulgaria loses the chess game. Budget, money from Europe for all sectors - everything is less important to them than personal security through a captured justice system," Petkov said. In his words, the captured justice is a lack of justice for every Bulgarian citizen. "I think, however, that the end of this part of the game is near," Petkov wrote, adding that this will be only a small step forward.

ARF leader Dzhevdet Chakarov commented that Thursday’s vote showed how the political players are positioned. Unfortunately, BSP chose not statehood but dependencies, he added. ARF agreed to support the Left under the conditions that Parliament would function, the countercorruption bills would be debated, and there would be no dependencies, he recalled. In his words, BSP had told ARF at their talks that they had reviewed CC-DB’s declaration but had not yet signed it. 

MECh leader Radostin Vassilev said in a position to the media that Kiselova is Peevski's and GERB's candidate for head of the 51st National Assembly. "Today, the mafia's proxies revealed themselves completely," he commented. According to him, BSP are firmly on the side of backstage dealings and protect them, which will cost them dearly. Also, Peevski showed GERB and BSP who runs the show. BSP are currently servants to the Borissov-Peevski model, Vassilev argued. Any attempt of Borissov to distance himself from Peevski will be punished severely by MRF - New Beginning, the MECh leader argued.