The MPs accepted PM Denkov's resignation
The negotiations for the rotation of prime ministers seem to have reached a street with no way out, which would mean early elections. According to Boyko Borissov (the leader of the party with the largest number of seats in Parliament – GERB-UDF), after Denkov's resignation was accepted today - the clock is ticking in the President's hands and it depends on him when the consultations and elections will take place.
The GERB were surprised last night by the speed with which We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria decided to put Denkov's resignation on the parliament's agenda, less than 24 hours after it was submitted. With this move, they have actually shrunk the time for negotiations between the non-partners for a future coalition government until the end of the term in office of this parliament.
The resignation was accepted unanimously - by 216 votes in favour, not a single "against" or "abstention". The vote took place in the absence of Boyko Borissov and the candidate for rotating prime minister Mariya Gabriel, who were attending an EPP congress in Bucharest. And in the absence of the prime minister himself, who after his report to the MPs left for a government meeting.
The resignation has been accepted. This happened exactly on the ninth month of the government - as agreed. WCC-DB say that this is how they kept their promise. GERB-UDF saw something else: haste and doubted that their power sharing partners were pushing the country towards elections. Because they did not present the evaluation of the ministers’ perfomance and voted in the absence of the GERB leader and the candidate for rotating prime minister.
And the debate and the vote on the resignation came in as the first item just today, because on the first Wednesday of the month any group can make motions that are not voted on by the chamber. This Wednesday, the WCC-DB were first in line and they made the decision.
Thus, in the absence of the Prime Minister, the ministers, the leader of GERB and the candidate for Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel from the plenary, the resignation of the cabinet was accepted.
"This rushed action of the colleagues from We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria to submit resignation and vote now, immediately raises certain suspicions. What our partners from WCC-DB have in effect demonstrated with this move is that they are in fact unwilling, perhaps, to negotiate. Rather, what they want is perhaps to push the country towards elections," said Temenuzhka Petkova, a member of the GERB-UDF.
"We are responsible for the country to have a reformist government and this is the only direction in which we are pushing. If someone wants to postpone the reforms and rather drag the responsibility for pushing the country towards timelessness is his", said Hristo Ivanov from WCC-DB.
"This haste can also mean something else: that this government is running away from the results of its own work," Tomislav Donchev said.
"I highly appreciate academician Denkov, I also appreciate the work of Mariya Gabriel", said Kiril Petkov of WCC-DB.
Kiril Petkov: We don't want elections, but we don't want governance without reforms
The report of the ministers should have been presented first, GERB said and saw tactical moves in the behaviour of WCC-DB.
"Yesterday was the national conference of GERB. This was the news of yesterday. The resignation had a single political purpose: to stall this news. The first Wednesday of the month is the day on which any PG can make motions that are not voted on by the chamber. This Wednesday, WCC-DB were first in order. The moment the resignation was deposited in the registry department, a few minutes later, the motion was made by WCC-DB - that this be the first item on today's agenda. There is an uncertainty of what would be the behaviour of their partner in the government, which uncertainty shows one basic thing: that there is no trust," National Assembly Speaker Rosen Zhelyazkov said.
"We made a commitment to resign on the ninth month so that this rotation could take place and we fulfilled our obligation. Some read this as a provocation. And they are wrong. And this word "election" has been in people's heads for several days and it irritates people to some extent," Atanas Atanasov explained.
The resignation was the first item, but the Prime Minister did not enter the Chamber first.
As fulfilling a commitment - this is how Denkov motivated his resignation. And reported:
"The Bulgarian economy continues to grow by nearly two percent. Incomes are growing more than two and a half times faster than inflation. Changes in the judiciary and the Constitution and improvements in border control have restored international confidence in the country. From March 31, after 12 years of waiting, we will travel freely by air and water in the Schengen area," Denkov said.
"Despite the environment of misinformation, sabotage, attacks and provocations, we are ready to move forward on the implementation of the set priorities and the governance programme with Mariya Gabriel as Prime Minister," Denkov stressed.
Denkov left and the opposition attacked.
"There is haggling over who will control what. This is WCC-DB the little crutch, the big crutch or whatever you want to call it, it is more precisely what Peevski told you: sitting in Peevski's lap and drinking oily coffee. Resign, losers", said Tsoncho Ganev.
"People who denied each other, swore at each other and arrested each other, came together. The backstage sat in the front row, became an "in front of the stage" and legalised their scam," explained BSP leader, Kornelia Ninova.
"Ladies and Gentlemen and Dear Gentlemen-ladies, what is happening today should have happened 9 months ago. PM Denkov slipped like a soap in a bathroom, and ran out of the chamber. But as people have said: when the ship sinks, the mice disappear first," said Toshko Yordanov of There is Such a People.
"Simplicity, dependence on other countries, insolent statements are no longer part of the expectations of the Bulgarian people. And unfortunately, colleagues, this will marginalise you more and more," Petkov added.
Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) did not participate in the debate.
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On March 6, 2024, Parliament voted to accept the resignation of the government of PM Nikolai Denkov as part of the planned cabinet rotation.
The rotation was planned to take place on March 6, 2024 as part of an agreement (in 2023) between the two largest parliamentary groups, GERB-UDF and We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria for rotating PM, according to which Nikolai Denkov and Mariya Gabriel will switch posts as Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister every nine months.
