site.btaBSP-United Left's Floor Leader Says Populist and Anti-European Parties Lack Sway in Bulgaria

After the Rosen Zhelyazkov cabinet survived a second vote of no-confidence on Thursday, Dragomir Stoynev, Floor Leader of BSP-United Left, said the news is that the populist and anti-European parties lack strength in Bulgaria, "which is very good".

The three political forces which signed the Joint Governance Agreement - GERB-UDF, BSP-United Left and There Is Such a People - continue to work together, nothing has changed, said Stoynev. In his view, it would have been good if Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria had backed the government so as to demonstrate the country's pro-European orientation together.

The priorities are stability, economic growth and the protection of disadvantaged citizens. The Bulgarian Socialist Party is part of this government to defend the interests of the people, Stoynev said. The Socialists will keep pushing for the postponement of energy market liberalization and the regulation of markups in big retail chains.

BSP-United Left also prioritizes the passage of personal bankruptcy legislation.

He also stressed BSP-United Left was behind a decision to suspend the sale of two reactors for the Belene N-plant to Ukraine. On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov told journalists he had held talks with the partners in the Joint Governance Council as well as with GERB leader Boyko Borissov. They reached agreement that the reactors are a key asset for Bulgaria.

On Wednesday, Borissov said representatives of the top three global funds, who have an exceptional interest in building huge data centres, had contacted the Bulgarian authorities and visited. This is a new goal for the US and the UK, but two things are needed for the construction of these centres - at least 1,000 megawatts of electricity, which can be generated by nuclear reactors, gas or thermal power plants, and a large river for cooling. Kozloduy has both, Borissov added.

In 2023, Bulgaria launched negotiations with Ukraine on the sale of Belene N-plant's equipment for an expansion of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant.