Bulgaria's Borissov: 'I'll Be Prime Minister Again-Whenever I Want'

GERB leader Boyko Borissov made a characteristically self-assured statement in Parliament, declaring that he would return to the prime minister’s post “whenever he wants.” Speaking to reporters in the corridors of the National Assembly, Borissov insisted that the current Prime Minister, Rosen Zhelyazkov, is the only one with the authority to nominate a new Secretary General of the Interior Ministry.

“It’s the cabinet’s job to make such proposals, not GERB. The Prime Minister will decide. When I become Prime Minister again - you’ll ask me then. I’ll do it when I want,” Borissov said, offering no further elaboration.

He went on to describe Interior Minister Daniel Mitov as his “personal appointment” in the Council of Ministers, reinforcing the close ties between the two.

Borissov also took the opportunity to praise the Ministry of Interior, and in particular the military intelligence services, for their handling of the recent evacuations of Bulgarian citizens from Iran and Israel. “The operation was executed flawlessly. If another institution had done this, they’d be shouting from the rooftops. But our people kept it professional,” he remarked.

Addressing the ongoing debate over how political formations are listed in Parliament (the DPS controversy), Borissov backed the decision to avoid combining party abbreviations. “Tomorrow we could end up being called GERB-MECH or GERB-WCC. That makes no sense. It’s absolutely right that we appear as we did on the ballot. Not all MPs thought this through at the time, but now it’s clear,” he said.