GERB-UDF leader Boyko Borissov: We will no longer participate in negotiations, we are heading for elections

We will no longer participate in negotiations, we are going to elections, GERB-UDF leader Boyko Borissov explained on the sidelines of the Parliament on July 4.

BNT: From now on you leave the other political formations to negotiate and will you watch from the side?

- Yes, of course. We will no longer participate in negotiations and we have made this clear to everyone. And when yesterday I came out from the rostrum of the Parliament to urge them to come to their senses, to know what they were doing, they did nothing even then. It became clear yesterday that Bulgaria is heading for elections," Borissov stressed.

"From now on it is the job of those who rejected it (the proposed PM and draft cabinet line-up), my job was until yesterday. My job was to win the election and win it decisively, very potently – having a lead of over 11%. When there are no political classes and the little parties want to dictate to the big ones, in defiance of democracy. In the Netherlands they made a government, the far right came in, but they came in with the most ministers after months of consultation."

"The combination of Borissov and Peevski (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) collapsed yesterday, after powerful reports by media about "Velichie" for days - how they were going to vote them, how they were going to make a government with Borissov with tricks, everything collapsed yesterday. They showed all their real faces, they showed the leader of the new assemblage Kostadin Kostadinov (the leader of Vazrazhdane). Kiril Petkov (We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria) stood and watched with Denkov how Kostadinov disposed. Kostadin Kostadinov is the new Peevski in Parliament," Borissov said, referring to what he sees as the new power-broker in Bulgarian politics - Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov.

I told you that I would not support a cabinet proposed with the second mandate, this is what we said in GERB. This time we said we will only propose a government of GERB-UDF, because we owe it to our voters. Now there was no Borissov on the other side, as I was, and unfortunately the man who made the previous “assemblage” is no longer alive. ("assemblage" is the word often used to refer to the cooperation between the power holders in the previous government – We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria and GERB-UDF.

BNT: Who are you talking about?

- About Alexey Petrov. Because he made the previous "assemblage", in a monastery."

Borissov made it clear he does not like to be associated with Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Delyan Peevski. He stressed that media suggestions that Borissov and Peevski go together are false.

"Petkov and Peevski were together every day. Peevski and Hristo Ivanov were together every day. Atanas and Peevski were together every day," he said.

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On July 3, the Parliament rejected GERB-UDF parliamentary group’s proposed Prime Minister, Rosen Zhelyazkov, thus defeating the first mandate to try to get a government formed. The nomination was rejected by 98 votes in favour and 138 against, with 2 abstentions.

The failure of the first mandate, which had been held by Boyko Borissov’s GERB-UDF as Parliament’s largest group, means that the President now will hand the second mandate to the second-largest group, the MRF.

Under the Constitution, the first two mandates go to the two largest groups in Parliament. If they fail to form a government, the President hands over the third mandate to a parliamentary group at his discretion. If it fails too, a caretaker government is appointed and parliamentary elections are scheduled within two months.