GERB Leader Borissov: Party Will No Longer Secure Quorum in Parliament

A shake-up in Bulgaria’s ruling coalition after GERB leader Boyko Borissov on October 14 announced that his party will no longer help secure a quorum in Parliament. He sent GERB’s MPs to their constituencies, urging them to “see how far support for the party has fallen.”

Borissov declared that GERB’s coalition partners would now “run the train on their own,” adding that his party had not taken part “in the mess in Pazardzhik”.

Shortly after his remarks, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov cancelled tomorrow’s scheduled Cabinet meeting. The move comes a day after GERB finished sixth in the local elections for municipal councillors in Pazardzhik.

Borissov expressed frustration with coalition partners 'BSP – United Left' and 'There Is Such a People', accusing them of lacking coalition culture.

Before the GERB–UDF parliamentary group, Boyko Borissov declared that the parties “climbing on his back today will soon fall off it.”

Boyko Borissov, Chair of the GERB–UDF Parliamentary Group:

“By the way, congratulations to the winners in Pazardzhik — to the runners-up who were so happy. To the fourth, to the fifth… but not to the sixth — no, not to the sixth.”

(Sunday's municipal council elections in the town of Pazardzhik in Southern Bulgaria, were won by Delyan Peevski's Movement for Rights and Freedoms, with the opposition 'We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria' coalition in second place, and GERB in sixth place.)

He described the ruling majority as a “patchwork” and reminded that GERB remained in government for the sake of Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen and the eurozone, as well as securing funds under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Boyko Borissov, Chair of the GERB–UDF Parliamentary Group:

“It seems that this in the Roma neighbourhoods of Pazardzhik is not being taking account of. The growth for WCC-DB support there, as well as for ‘New Beginning’, is colossal. In other words, people there clearly see things differently. On one side is the mayoral administration, on the other are the others. And yesterday there was an enormous, jubilant din that GERB was defeated. Well, now that we've been defetaed, let all the winners take the reins from here on.

Boyko Borissov, Chair of the GERB–UDF Parliamentary Group:

“They ...Kiril, Assen, Lena (of WCC-DB), BOETS, Rashkov, terrified people– they were running live streams. We didn’t take part in that mess,” he said. Tomislav Donchev asked me a very good question: ‘Why didn’t we go to Pazardzhik?’ Because, Tomislav, I knew what would happen. I knew that in the Roma neighbourhoods it would be a mess. You remember Desislava, she was an MP ,from GERB. Now she is at the top of the list (for municipla councilors in Pazardzhik), from ‘MRF - New Beginning’. Those whom we push away, they go there (MRF_New Beginning).”

Borissov added that GERB will no longer act as a façade for everything that happens.

“Gutsanov (Minister of Labour and Social Policy) explains on TV how everything will be increased—salaries, this and that. He said he was going to convince the partners for even further increases (of salaries and pensions). They filled the ministries, they took them on concession. Kiselova (Speaker of Parliament), wherever there is a rose festival, a strawberry festival, a cherry, plum, jujube, lettuce festivals - she goes there to be seen. Today there was Joint Governance Council; I hope PM Zhelyazkov told them clearly and precisely what we want. I see no place for GERB in such a government. The result will be even worse for GERB if we remain in a government that has handed ministries out as concessions, which are run by circles, cliques, and people who do not deal with politics or coalition culture.”

According to Borissov, the condition that he not serve as Prime Minister was imposed by the other parties precisely to allow this kind of behaviour within the government.

“These outrages wouldn’t have happened if I were Prime Minister. By now, the governor of Razgrad should have been dismissed, and the director in Pazardzhik would have been already been sacked today. Mladen, you know how it was. Even the director in Ruse would have been sacked.”

Borissov announced that GERB–UDF will no longer maintain a quorum and has sent MPs back to their constituencies, leaving ministers to decide for themselves whether to attend Cabinet meetings.

“I gave my word that we would not be the first to break the coalition. We will not break it, but we will not continue to participate in this way either. Every day they explain Borissov–Peevski because it suits them. Peevski is not in the government. Or he could join officially, depending on what they say at Joint Governance Council. I will decide for GERB whether it is appropriate or not. That is why the Prime Minister should reorganise the government, including the Speaker of Parliament—this cannot go on. Nearly a year of this is enough.”

He also explained under what conditions GERB would continue to participate in the government:

“Either the government starts working as one and puts Bulgarians’ interests first, or with these reshuffles and changes to placate the parties we’ll end up another three to five days without a quorum — and the government will simply fall.”

Borissov added that the Interior Minister must clarify who is responsible for the problems with the vote in Pazardzhik—the professional leadership or the political management of the Ministry of Interior.