There will be negotiations, but when - new clashes between GERB-UDF and WCC-DB
The partners in the government made mutual invitations for the beginning of the negotiations what will be the formula of power after the rotation.
We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria wants the talks to start tomorrow, Friday, in the National Assembly. GERB-UDF sent them invitations for Saturday at 10 a.m., and the talks on the GERB side will be led by Mariya Gabriel.
There will be negotiations and they should be led by the person who will make a team and govern Bulgaria - this is how the leader of GERB argued why Mariya Gabriel should be the head of the negotiating team.
"I do not want Mariya Gabriel to feel obedient like Denkov and to feel that before she makes a decision she has to call to ask someone, whether me or someone elase. That's why I told them in the most human way - we come back on Thursday, negotiations on Saturday, Sunday, the resignation is tabled. I don't want Mariya to feel in the shadows because the signature will be hers, the responsibility will be hers. She has to make her own decisions - alone and quickly," GERB leader Boyko Borissov said.
Boyko Borissov: Maria Gabriel will invite WCC-DB to negotiations, the likelihood of early elections remains
"I fully agree that there should be no "lackey" prime ministers and I will stop here with my comment because what I have seen in recent months is that it is better not to comment on the nonsense that is being said from various places. I regret that Mr Borissov has joined the group of people who stick labels when they have no arguments, ", said Nikolai Denkov, outgoing prime minister.
He assured that they always wanted the rotation to happen and now it was time to hold negotiations and move on.
"My appeal to everybody is to stop trying to criticise others and to sit at the negotiating table tomorrow as announced because any other talk is superfluous. We are in a process where both sides have submitted documents, negotiations are going to take place. We have always said that, in fact, we want the rotation to take place, we want the negotiations to take place and we want to move on. So these suggestions that someone from us wanted elections are completely unfounded," Denkov said.
An exchange of invitations for negotiations followed. WCC-DB invited GERB as early as tomorrow - Friday, and GERB asked to start on Saturday.
"I hold in my hands the invitations to Ms Mariya Gabriel and Mr Borissov, as well as their negotiating team, to officially give them now and invite them on Friday at a convenient time for them in the National Assembly to start the negotiations," added Kiril Petkov, co-chair of WCC-DB.
In a press release from GERB it became clear that they have also sent an invitation to WCC-DB, but for 10 o'clock on Saturday. They specify that they will negotiate the coalition agreement, the decision-making mechanism and the composition and structure of the Council of Ministers.
In Parliament, WCC-DB again outlined what they are demanding - independent regulators and a judiciary. They do not accept Borissov's insistence that Assen Vassilev (finance minister) be replaced.
"And if we have a common vision for these things and make the regulators truly independent and build these institutions the right way, then the talk about ministers will be secondary. Changing at this moment, for example the finance minister, at the moment when we are months before joining the eurozone, is an absolutely crazy idea," Kiril Petkov added.
The opposition also wants elections.
"It is more important to say what the characteristics of this government and this majority are. For me these are incompetence, greed and servility and from here we go - these are not negotiations, these are bargaining and whenever this cabinet goes it will always be too late, so the only salvation for our country is early parliamentary elections," said Borislav Gutsanov of the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
"The one they (referring to WCC-DB) arrested a year and a half ago 9referring to the arrest of GERB leader Boyko Borissov), together with him they are now wondering how to divide the country 50-50. I hope the sooner this whole nightmare ends, the sooner we go to elections and sweep them away," said Stanislav Balabanov of "There is Such a People".
Whether there will be negotiations and what they will lead to is a matter of time.
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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.
