ABV's Reelected Leader Demands Reshuffle in Bulgaria's Govt

President (2002-2012) Georgi Parvanov, who was reelected Sunday as Chair of his ABV party, has insisted that Bulgaria's cabinet should undergo certain changes

Parvanov, whose Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABV) has a minister in the current government, stepped down earlier this year over his party's support in Parliament for a bill allowing the cabinet to take on some BGN 16 B in new debt. Parvanov is not an MP himself.

He told delegates at a congress of ABV which overwhelmingly approved his candidacy on Sunday that either one of a handful of ministers or his party could quit the cabinet, withdrawing its support and turning into opposition.

Ministers in his list include Nikolay Nenchev (defense), Daniel Mitov (foreign affairs), Temenuzhka Petkova (energy) and Todor Tanev (education).

The former head of state did not set any deadline for the moves, but openly attacked policies at the five ministries, calling Nenchev and Mitov's activity "harmful to Bulgaria".

Energy policy is, in his words, "a failure", while the education system is undergoing "strange things".

Parvanov tied ABV's role in the government to lawmakers' support for a social reform package proposed by Deputy PM and Social Policy Minister Ivaylo Kalfin.

A decision by ABV's minister Kalfin to quit the government would destabilize the minority coalition, but would not make it collapse since its majority in Parliament is secured by the nationalist coalition Patriotic Front.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!