After GERB's meetings with the parties represented in Parliament - is there a chance for a government?

GERB's two-day consultations with the parliamentary parties are over. Only "There is Such a People" showed up for talks on forming a government today, June 18 and only the Movement for Rights and Freedoms took part in the talks yesterday. Neither of the two parties has so far given its unequivocal parliamentary support, GERB said.

Today's consultations started with a false start after the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) did not turn up. Minutes before the scheduled time for a meeting of the BSP with GERB, the socialists announced that the party's executive bureau had decided not to participate in the consultations and not to support a government with a mandate of GERB and MRF. In "The Day Begins" programme on BNT, the party's organisational secretary Borislav Gutsanov, however, announced that the socialists would still support an expert government.

"There is Such a People" (TISP) accepted the invitation. During the bilateral talks, GERB representatives briefed TISP on their views on how the country should be governed policy by policy. "There is Such a People" recalled the election promises they had made to the voters.

The most important thing - structure and line-up of the government, has not been discussed. Toshko Yordanov said that an expert cabinet would solve the political puzzle.

"This is a first preliminary conversation and we are not talking about a government at all at the moment. The situation is complicated and difficult because the country without a government is blocked and on the other hand - with a bad government sometimes it is worse. We have been explaining for a year and a bit that we think the best option is an expert cabinet. Colleagues from GERB have reached the idea, apparently," said Toshko Yordanov from TISP.

GERB described the talks with TISP as a good start.

"We have left the door open to continue our talks specifically on policies. Talks that concern the composition, structure of the government, names - such talks have not been held," said Denitsa Sacheva of GERB-UDF.

There has been no categorical answer from MRF and TISP for parliamentary support so far, Sacheva further explained.

"Neither the colleagues from MRF nor from TISP have expressed a clear and categorical position in support of a government. GERB-UDF remains firm that the country needs a regular government and we believe that the political crisis can only be solved through action, through courage and by taking responsibility. That is why we have proposed a formula called "government of shared responsibility"," Sacheva added.

"Velichie" party did not show up for the consultations. Denitsa Sacheva explained the reason:

"We have received a letter from Mr Markov in which he expresses his willingness to meet Mr Borissov, but such a meeting will not take place."

"Vazrazhdane", which yesterday refused talks with GERB, today explained why.

"At the moment we are in a situation where we will have another Euro-Atlantic government because of the fact that policies will be pushed through that are not on the agenda of the Bulgarian people. We cannot support it and we stand firmly in opposition. We refused the invitation of the MRF and GERB to go to talks with them for the simple reason that our priorities, the priorities of the Bulgarian people, the priorities for which we were sent to Parliament, they do not even want to consider them. They say they have community interests and their partners - in inverted commas, will not allow them to implement," said Tsoncho Ganev, deputy chair of “Vazrazhdane” parliamentary group.

Early tomorrow morning, GERB group will decide whom to nominate as Speaker of the 50th National Assembly, and the voting will show the distribution of parliamentary forces.

First day of talks on forming a government: GERB-UDF propose a government of shared responsibility