GERB Defiant about Forming Bulgaria's Next Govt

The formerly-ruling centrist Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, plans to accept the mandate for appointing a new government and table a minority Cabinet in the Parliament.

The information was reported by the Bulgarian Trud (Labor) daily, citing an unnamed senior politician from GERB.

GERB's proposal is highly likely to be rejected by the other formations in the country's 42nd General Assembly.

On Monday, GERB's Deputy Chairman and former Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, announced his party - the party of former Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, was ready with nominations for a new government.

It is believed the proposal will include the highest rated Ministers from the former Borisov Cabinet – of Regional Development, Lilyana Pavlova, of Management of EU Funds, Tomislav Donchev, of Energy and Economy, Delyan Dobrev, while the former Deputy Finance Minister, Vladislav Goranov, will, most likely, take over the State budget.

According to preliminary results from the May 12 early general elections, GERB ranked first in the vote and together with the third political force – the far-right, nationalist Ataka, they have 121 Members of the Parliament from a total of 240. This means a coalition between them would give them a majority. Ataka and its leader, Volen Siderov, are, however, adamant they would not be partners with GERB.

Borisov's party now says, because of the above, they have given up on courting Siderov.

The ballots from abroad could still change the balance as only 55% of them have arrived and they might turn out to be key for the appointment of the future government.

In addition to GERB, and Ataka, two other parties won seats in the Parliament – the left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, (second) and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS.

As they are all opposing GERB, after the latter's Cabinet proposal is rejected in the Parliament, according to Trud, Borisov and his MPs are said to be going to wait on BSP to form a government and after 6 months – to start destabilizing it in order to win more conclusively the next general elections.

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