site.btaGERB Leader Criticizes President’s Remarks: He Uses Every Possibility to Talk Against Government

GERB leader Boyko Borissov said Friday that President Rumen Radev’s behaviour is more appropriate for a party leader and not a head of State, as "he uses every possibility to talk against the government, saying nothing new”. Speaking to journalists in Parliament, Borissov commented on Radev’s Thursday statement that “it is no less shameful to be his [Movement for Rights and Freedoms Floor Leader Delyan Peevski’s] partner in business and politics, as is the mandate bearer."

“A head of State should not speak like that,” Borissov added. “If you are a party leader and you stoop as low as Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh), Velichie and their rhetoric, you can say whatever you want to.”

“Do we take the BGN 1.05 million today that goes to Turkiye from Bulgarian teachers or doctors? Yesterday’s million from the Bulgarian military? From what sectors should we take these hundreds of millions, nearly a billion,” Borissov added. “I could talk a lot more about the Silk Road,” [play with words with the name of the President's Domestic Policy Secretary Nikolay Koprinkov, allegedly involved in corruption through public procurement] Borissov said.

Responding to a question about GERB’s future presidential nomination, Borissov said that when the time comes, he will make the nomination.

Asked whether early parliamentary elections are possible, Borissov responded that the risk exists every day. “Since day one, I’ve been saying that this is the most unstable government, since it was formed because after eight early parliamentary elections the state was in a horrible catastrophe brought on by Radev and his circle.” Borissov gave an example with the latest opinion polls according to which the second and third party together have the same support from voters as GERB garners. “The Constitutional Court pushed Velichie in [parliament]. Radev and his three Constitutional judges did it and now Velichie has embraced him,” he said.

Borissov added that processes are currently underway around the world. More sanctions against Russia are being worked out and adopted. From January 1, Russian liquefied gas, as well as pipeline gas, will stop flowing to Europe. This is the moment when countries need to sign long-term contracts for liquefied gas, Borissov said. According to him, the BOTAS contract "weighs heavily on us like a millstone." Instead of working together with Turkiye, “we have our pants down" already, because of the agreement to transport gas through Bulgaria, GERB’s leader said.

On January 3, 2023, the Bulgarian state-owed natural gas supplier Bulgargaz and Turkish energy company BOTAS signed an interconnection agreement, under which the Bulgarian side booked capacity of 106.4GWh/day on the Turkish LNG regasification terminals and agreed to pay for this BGN 1 million (EUR 512,000) daily for a period ending in 2035.