Bulgarian cabinet rotation fails, snap election looms

After less than a year with a regular government, Bulgaria is once again entering a spiral of political instability after the two largest formations in the parliament – Boyko Borissov’s centre-right GERB (EPP) and the centrist We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) – failed to agreeon forming a government.

Nine months ago, former enemies GERB and PP-DB cobbled together a cabinet led by PP-DB’s Nikolai Denkov on the condition that he would resign on 6 March and former European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel (GERB) would take over as prime minister. The planned rotation failed, however, as the formations failed to agree on many issues over the last two weeks.

“The country is returning with a bang to the deepest waters of the constitutional, political and governmental crisis, and this is not our fault. We are ready to negotiate until we find a solution,” DB co-leader Hristo Ivanov said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Gabriel received a mandate from President Rumen Radev to form a government, while many issues between GERB and the PP-DB remained unresolved. Gabriel said she would return the mandate within 24 hours, which was also an ultimatum for the PP-DB to end negotiations.

On Tuesday, Gabriel presented a project for a cabinet that would include representatives of both GERB and PP-DB, with PP-DB members in the majority. The composition of the proposed government is slightly different from that of the previous Denkov cabinet.

“We want a government of equal partners. I am aware of the responsibility before me and the importance of a stable government for completing key projects for Bulgaria, such as the Eurozone and Schengen,” Gabriel said, presenting the cabinet project to the president.

PP-DB later held a briefing to announce that most of its nominees for Gabriel’s cabinet project had, in fact, not agreed to become ministers. According to the PP-DB, this is a scandal and a violation of the constitution.

“Ms Gabriel is no longer part of the solution, but part of the problem. Perhaps the newest and most beautiful face of the mafia in Bulgaria,” said PP-DB co-leader Asen Vassilev. Vassilev was finance minister in Denkov’s cabinet, and Gabriel suggested that he keep his post.

The PP-DB accused GERB and party leader Boyko Borissov of bowing to pressure from another party leader, Delyan Peevski, who leads DPS, the party of the Turkish minority. This pro-European formation, along with GERB and DPS, has been propping up Denkov’s cabinet for the past nine months.

Peevski congratulated Gabriel on the proposed cabinet and declared his support, but the DPS’s votes alone were insufficient for GERB to form a cabinet.

Other parties in parliament include the pro-Russian nationalist party Vazrazhdane, the populist party There is Such a People, and the Bulgarian Socialist Party. All have adopted a pro-Kremlin line on the war in Ukraine and called for early elections.

If parliament fails to elect a cabinet, as is likely, the early parliamentary elections could coincide with the European elections.

(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)