GERB Announces European Elections List

GERB's leader, Boyko Borisov, in the city of Kurzhali, ahead of EP Elections list's announcement, Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's center-right opposition party GERB has announced its list for May 25's European Elections.

Former EU Funds Minister Tomislav Donchev, who had been previously reported to top the list, is followed by Andrey Kovachev, Mariya Nedelcheva and Vladimir Uruchev, Dnevnik.bg has reported.
GERB's leader Boyko Borisov revealed the names heading the party's list at a conference in Bulgaria's southern city of Kurdzhali.

Other politicians bidding for seats in the European Parliament are to be announced later on next week.

With the exception of Donchev, all other three nominees are presently MEPS elected from GERB's previous list.

Borisov was quoted by website Dnes.bg as saying that an acting GERB MEP would not be part of the list, but refused to name him for now.

This would leave either Emil Stoyanov or Iliana Ivanova, the other two acting MEPs, out of the bid.

In his speech, Borisov called on all right parties in Bulgaria to consider the possibility of creating a "common staff" involving members of the European Popular Party, a move that would bring together GERB with the rightist Reformist Bloc at the European Elections.

He was clear that no common list was possible between the two parties, but that common values allowed for the "election staff" to be set up as a first measure.

He nevertheless noted that he realized such an idea could only be fulfilled under the condition of a "better political culture and more tolerance."

The formerly ruling (2009-2013) party chose the southern Bulgarian city of Kurdzhali.

This location sparked controversy earlier this week after ruling socialists' leader Sergei Stanishev spoke of a scenario in which, like in Crimea, the city could break away from Bulgaria due to its large ethnic Turkish minority.

GERB's leader Boyko Borisov said it was precisely because of these words that his party's meeting would be held in Kurdzhali.

Earlier on Saturday, the Reformists revealed that Bulgaria for Citizens Movement's leader Meglena Kuneva was heading their European Elections list, with Svetoslav Malinov, Bozhidar Lukarski and Korman Ismailov (representatives of other three coalition partners in the six-party bloc) at the next three positions.

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