Bulgaria's Junior Govt Partner Wants to Renegotiate Coalition Agreement

The Reformist Bloc L-R: BZNS leader Nikolay Nenchev, SDS's Bozhidar Lukarski, DBG's Meglena Kuneva, BND's Borislav Velikov, DBG Deputy Chair Nayden Zelenogorski (front), NPSD's Korman Ismailov. BGNES

Junior coalition partner Reformist Bloc (RB) has announced it wants to negotiate an update of the coalition agreement it sealed with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's GERB party last year.

A "review and assessment" of results achieved by the GERB-RB coalition since the autumn of 2014 will also be demanded.

After an extraordinary meeting of RB member parties (RB is a loose coalition of right-wing parties with no single leader), the bloc has also confirmed that Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), one of its members, will remain in opposition.

Health Minister Petar Moskov (DSB), however, announced last week he would remain in office, a step he coordinated with his party.

In a statement, the RB raises concern over "lack of unanimity on the judicial reform and anti-corruption law in the governing coalition." It was the judicial reform and lawmakers' rejection of some of its sections that prompted Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov to resign.

DSB leader Radan Kanev immediately said he was withdrawing support from the government and moving into opposition.

Kanev was the only RB party leader who was not present while the RB was reading its statement.

He added that DSB would remain part of the bloc, but might review its participation in March of next year.

It is not yet clear what "update of the coalition agreement" will be sought by the bloc. The statement adds the overhauled document should have "a clear timetable for its implementation".

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