Parliamentary groups say “No” to MRF's invitation to talks on second government-forming mandate (update)

The parliamentary parties on July 10 declined the offer of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) for talks on the second government-forming mandate. Yesterday,the chairman MRF parliamentary group, Delyan Peevski, sent invitations to all parties in Parliament, except "Vazrazhdane", to talks on governance policies and said that after receiving a reply they will decide how to proceed with the second government-forming mandate, which is to be handed over to them by President Rumen Radev.

Today, July 10, the answers were “no”. Does the 50th Parliament have the potential to elect a regular cabinet?

For the MRF, the day began with the hope that the political puzzle of the second mandate could be sorted out and the problems in the group could be resolved.

"We have invited them very kindly. We have presented our priorities and the opportunity for debate and any form of cooperation. We await the response of the colleagues," said Iskra Mihailova - Deputy Chairman of the MRF parliamentary group.

Is the MRF PG united?

"The group is very strong and effective".

Ramadan Atalay, expelled from the group, was of a different opinion.

"According to the statutes of the party at the moment, this leadership that it elected is really illegitimate, because the statutes precisely and clearly say that the chairman is also a traitor of the PG, and there is one of the chairmen missing. It is good that there are only two so far," Ramadan Atalay said.

"I think the honorary chairman will come out soon. But his statement I don't think will be any different from the actions of those 17 MPs."

"We will not support a second mandate. The coalition's position remains unchanged for the third mandate," said GERB-UDF leader Boyko Borissov.

This was announced by Boyko Borissov in an open letter to the MRF. According to him, "the differences and opposition between the parliamentary groups do not create the necessary basis for forming a stable government." Borissov expects political maturity in the upcoming election campaign as a prerequisite for forming a government in the next Parliament.

"Yesterday we sent a very clear position that the chances for a government are practically non-existent, so we said that we will not support a cabinet neither with the second nor with the third mandate, because I think we have exhausted all possible options," Denitsa Sacheva of GERB-UDF was adamant.

In a letter to Peevski, the parliamentary group of "Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) also refused to participate in negotiations for forming a government with a second mandate, stating that they had differences on 7 main priorities such as fighting corruption, rule of law, election of regulators, transparency of competitions, judicial system reform. However, WCC-DB has not yet decided on the third mandate.

"The second mandate is clear. It is obvious that there is no support. This became clear when the first government-forming mandate was handed over. And the processes that we see now as a split in the MRF are yet to be seen how they will end," said Venetia Angova from "We Continue the Change" (a party from WCC-DB coalition).

If the third mandate comes to you?

"That is not yet specified. I think we have also made it clear that we will be the opposition in the 50th NA?

"We of ‘Yes Bulgaria’ have given our view. That's why our declaration explicitly says - if there is a reformist majority, we are turned towards actually having some chance of forming a government. And they are completely sustainable in terms of our political force", said Elisaveta Belobradova from ‘Yes Bulgaria’, (a party from the WCC-DB coalition).

MRF did not send an invitation to "Vazrazhdane" because of their ideological differences. They announced that they offered the best formula for getting out of the crisis, but WCC-DB failed it.

"We have always said that we will not participate with GERB and MRF in any form and that is exactly why we are proposing to all parties that are against them, at least in front of their voters, to stand together and we can have a majority. That is why our proposal is valid, but to date, because of the WCC - DB, it is obvious that there is no way to realize this mandate in this way", believes Tsoncho Ganev, deputy chairman of "Vazrazhdane".

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) do not support the second cabinet-forming mandate.

"I think the third mandate makes it still possible not to go to other early parliamentary elections, and we have said this more than once. Regardless of who will get the third mandate, the political entity should have the will to formulate the main priorities of the state and the people and ready to form a cabinet of national salvation." Borislav Gutsanov of BSP said.

“We are ready to support whichever party gets the third mandate - as long as it has this vision," he said.

In the response to the MRF's letter, “There is Such a People” (TISP) Parliamentary Group said that it would not support a government on the second mandate. The party says that only an expert cabinet, put together on the third mandate and with broad parliamentary support, can pull Bulgaria out of its political, social and economic crisis.

"We will invite all political parties to a conversation to see if they are willing to work on policies. What makes TISP different from the other political formations is that rather than talking about priorities and policies that are important for the country, and then the personalities, we will first talk about the expertise of the personalities who will stand behind these policies if there is a will to implement them", said Stanislav Balabanov of TISP.

The Head of State has not yet announced a date for the handing over of the second mandate. There is no limit in the Constitution on the time he has to do so.