site.btaBSP – United Left Leader Outlines Conditions before Government Formation Talks

The congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party will be held on February 15, the party's acting Chair Atanas Zafirov announced at a briefing after a meeting of the BSP plenum, which set the date of the internal elections - February 23. The party has also decided to respond to GERB's invitation for negotiations for a cabinet, and the contact group will include Atanas Zafirov, Borislav Gutsanov, Ivan Ivanov, Kiril Dobrev and Manol Genov.

Zafirov said that they will join the negotiations for a cabinet, but will postpone the meeting until after the talks between the first and second political forces (GERB-UDF and CC-DB). However, the Left will respond to the invitation with several conditions, including: reviewing the tax system and introducing a tax-free minimum; preserving the investment programme of municipalities; revising the status of hospitals as commercial companies; introducing childbirth incentives and higher maternity pay; resuming the Belene nuclear power plant project; stopping military aid to Ukraine; public and transparent procedures for electing regulators and a new Supreme Judicial Council; ending the election of Borislav Sarafov as prosecutor general.

He expressed hope that none of these goals would be compromised and expects to find a majority in Parliament that does not want early elections. Zafirov said that all but MRF – New Beginning are potential partners.