site.btaContinue the Change Would Form Majority with Anyone Backing Sarafov’s Removal

The removal of acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov would need us to form a majority with any party that supports this, Continue the Change (CC) Co-chair Assen Vassilev told bTV here on Thursday.

"This has nothing to do with governance or forming a government," Vassilev said. “It is impossible to govern with Vazrazhdane. We have always led Bulgaria towards Europe through actions, not just words. We want Bulgaria to be a normal European country, a member of the European Union, and to reach average European prosperity levels. Vazrazhdane wants to take us into BRICS, which is an alliance of some of the poorest countries in the world,” Vassilev commented.

“We, from CC, have had no discussions with GERB,” Vassilev explained. “We have made it clear that talks will only happen after signing the cordon sanitaire declaration.” He added that their coalition partner, Democratic Bulgaria (DB), could hold talks with GERB if they wished, and CC would support them in this.

When asked whether CC would sign a potential coalition agreement if DB negotiated the priorities outlined in the cordon sanitaire declaration with GERB-UDF and included them in such an agreement, Vassilev replied, “The devil is in the details.”

“The deadline for electing Sarafov as prosecutor general expires on January 16, 2025. By then, these laws must not just be negotiated, put in a statement or discussed—they must be adopted. So far, 108 MPs have signed the cordon sanitaire. A bill with nearly identical wording has also been submitted by Vazrazhdane. Judicial reform is crucial for us,” Vassilev said.

Commenting on the arrest of his associate, Lachezar Stavrev, Vassilev described it as "a grand farce and an attempt by Sarafov to interfere in politics." Vassilev added it was an attempt to obstruct the work of the National Assembly and that he personally has nothing to fear and would willingly surrender his immunity if asked.

This comes after Sarafov asked Parliament to strip the immunity of Continue the Change Co-chair Kiril Petkov earlier this week over Petkov's role in the March 2022 arrest of GERB leader and former prime minister Boyko Borissov. Petkov has since given up his immunity as an MP.