What are the possible scenarios for the fate of the Zhelyazkov draft cabinet?

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev on July 1 handed over the first cabinet-forming mandate to Rosen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister-designate of GERB-UDF. Zhelyazkov was ready with a cabinet line-up and proceeded to read out the proposed structure and composition.

Boyko Borissov, the leader of GERB-UDF, which won the June 9 early general elections, said that the party had taken into account the choice of the public. But he warned that if the Zhelyazkov government did not get support with a clear majority, it would have a short life.

Shorty after handing over the mandate to seek to to form a government, the President signed the decree asking Parliament to vote the proposed cabinet.

President issued a decree asking Parliament to vote the proposed cabinet

To make a government with tricks is not fair, it is not statesmanlike, and it does not suit GERB-UDF - with these words the leader of the party defended the proposed cabinet.

"This is a GERB government with several ministers who are doing well in the caretaker government. You can see that this is a government that can share responsibility and a government for which entirely GERB and UDF bear responsibility," said Boyko Borissov, GERB chairman.

"These are the leading experts and politicians in GERB. These are not the sacrificial rams of GERB. The horizon of the cabinet, because we are not currently talking about a four-year, full-term governance programme, we are talking about specific policies," noted Rosen Zhelyazkov - GERB-UDF candidate for Prime Minister.

Borissov also outlined possible scenarios.

"If the government goes through thanks to a trick - whether some MPs choose not to come for the vote, or decide to back us but not as a party, not in a majority to fulfill our programme, then the government will have a very short life: not because somebody will bring it down but because we will walk out," the GERB-UDF leader said.

GERB-UDF proposes a government that sets three main goals

Borissov defined the priorities for the cabinet - even if it was short-lived: to adopt the new state budget, the recovery and resilience plan and the euro area entry.

"Then we can safely go to elections. We will resign and go to elections," he added.

"Elections, when we enter, whether with a vote of confidence or with a resignation, have to be in the right period. It will certainly not be the winter period, but that will be our commitment," Zhelyazkov stressed.

"BNT: How is this government going to work if the Prime Minister is going to work with a resignation letter in his pocket?

"Like all governments in the last 3 years. So nothing different from what has been happening in the last three years. It was chaos, absolute chaos. And everybody is talking to me about how they care about the voters, come on let's think a little bit about the people and the country," Borissov replied.

Seven of the proposed ministers are from the caretaker cabinet. Borissov's explained that Gvozdeykov is a colleague from We Continue the Change who did and is doing well, and Kalin Stoyanov, who Kiril Petkov (of WCC) and I personally coordinated, is the only Minister of Interior so far, during the governance of whom there is no appeal of elections from any party.

BNT: But he became the bone of contention in the rotation between you and We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria?

"The bone of contention was elsewhere", said the leader of GERB-UDF.

Despite preliminary political reactions, Borissov still expects support from his former partners.

"I turn to all my colleagues from We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria, as well as all the rest who are turning their back to the state and chose to protect or reclaim their voter base. At the next elections they will hear the same answer from me," Borissov said.

GERB-UDF are also ready to talk about a programme.

"Ministers are easy to change when you also have a majority in Parliament. In conversation, if it is some condition and they offer a better candidate. Since they know that with a second and third mandate there will be no government, I hope there will be a conversation," said the GERB chairman.

BNT:If the Zhelyazkov cabinet does not get passed - is it possible to unite with other political forces when another mandate is handed over? The answer was short:

"No, absolutely not."

Prime Minister-designate Rosen Zhelyazkov outlined three possible paths for the country's development.

"The first path is one of normalisation of political life - slow, difficult, but forward development. The second path is political recession, in which we are now - it is a torture of democracy and election after election is a lack of choice. The third path is political regression. We cannot afford the second and third scenarios," PM-designate Rosen Zhelyazkov was adamant.

Zhelyazkov said that he had taken the responsibility to be a Prime Minister-designate, although the current majority in Parliament brought him down as Speaker of Parliament because whoever looks backwards will stumble forward, he said. That is why he is looking forward, Zhelyazkov added.