Bulgaria PM Tells Allies to Mind Own Business over Reforms

Bulgarian PM Borisov (right) together with Culture Minister Rashidov (left) at the ground-breaking of the new top museum complex in downtown Sofia which will some some old reconstructed buildings. Photo by BGNES

The rightist Blue Coalition should not meddle in the work of Bulgaria’s ruling party GERB, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov declared.

During the ground-breaking ceremony starting the construction of the “Bulgarian Louvre” museum complex, the Prime Minister said he was not familiar with the very recent criticism of his right-wing allies.

“I haven’t heard what the Blue Coalition has said. But I know that nobody has ever carried out such large-scale reforms as we are currently. Every political party has the right to do what it wishes. I am not meddling in the work of the other parties, and I am not letting them meddle in the work of my own,” Borisov stated.

In a series of statements on Monday and earlier on Tuesday, the rightist Blue Coalition, made up of the Union of Democratic Forces and Ivan Kostov’s Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party, slammed the Borisov government for not being bold enough with respect to badly needed reforms, and for being lost in populism, and succumbing to popular demands.

The Blue Coalition, together with the nationalist party Ataka, are informal backers of the GERB government, which has only 117 MPs, four short of an absolute Parliamentary majority.

The Blue Coalition has been increasingly critical of the GERB government with regard to the anti-crisis package of 60 measures that it adopted recently after extensive consultations with trade unions and employers.

“It think that what the UDF and DSB did during their government term warrants a lot of criticism, especially in the energy sphere. We are suffering a lot from what done back then. But I can’t afford going back. If Bulgaria has selected such tactics, they should be implemented,” the Prime Minister commented referring to the government of the Union of Democratic Forces led by Ivan Kostov. (The DSB split off from the UDF in 2003 but the two formations have been cooperating ever since.)

He said the Blue Coalition had not contacted him personally, and prompted them to call him.

“I depend only on the people. If they want to withdraw their support, we are going to early elections, and the people will say who it wants to governed by. I have demonstrated what I am doing in the field of security, energy, health care, and everything else. Who has more to show for than we have achieved?,” Borisov asked.

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