site.btaPetkov, Borissov Clash over Regulator Nominations

Kiril Petkov, ranking member of the opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Parliamentary Group, and Boyko Borissov, leader of the power-sharing GERB Party, on Friday clashed over the nominations for members of the regulators that have to be elected by the legislature.

Talking to journalists, Petkov described as "dismal" the nominations for members of the regulatory bodies that will serve five- or seven-year terms. In his words, "the various candidates of the various parties in the ruling coalition are all candidates of [MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan] Peevski. "We will nominate higher-standard people to make it clear that the better candidates are not picked," the CC-DB MP added. 

Reacting to Petkov's statement, Borissov told the media in Parliament's lobby later on Friday that GERB "does not want to be and will not be a scapegoat". "All candidates nominated by CC-DB are Peevski's people, all of them," the GERB leader argued.

He threatened that "there will be no election of new members of regulatory bodies if the opposition is planning to speculate on the candidates' names." 

"When the State has been left in this condition for four or five years now, it is far more interesting and comfortable to be in opposition," the GERB leader commented.