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Are chances of forming cabinet with support of "protest parties" declining?

Slavi Trifonov says Democratic Bulgaria are looking for positions in future cabinet

Photo: BGNES

A person who is not widely known and has no experience in politics, but has experience in private business is one way to describe the candidate of "There is Such a People" (ITN) for Prime Minister, Plamen Nikolov. The party that won the snap parliamentary elections on July 11 once again failed to betray its style of surprising society. One of the three most important positions in the country was expected to be taken by lawyer Petar Iliev. However, the staff of the Council of Ministers is still unknown. The ITN has reaffirmed their readiness to bear direct political responsibility for the country's governance. However, their behavior seems to show shortcomings of politicians without sufficient experience.

"Excessive silence always breeds mistrust," political scientist Professor Todor Galunov has told BNR. “In addition, Bulgarian political life has always suffered from a lack of sufficient public transparency. I think that the candidates for both prime minister and ministers should have been known much earlier.”

According to him, talks on forming a government have stalled and whatever cabinet was created, it would be formed in a way that would build mistrust between the parties."

Meanwhile, the chances of forming a cabinet of ITN with the support of "Democratic Bulgaria" seem to be getting smaller after the criticism of Slavi Trifonov towards them. According to the ITN leader, Democratic Bulgaria were looking for positions in the government and for having more role and importance than the voters has assigned to them. Earlier, the co-chairman of "Democratic Bulgaria" Hristo Ivanov confirmed that the coalition was ready to support the government under certain guarantees:

"We are ready to provide support, but for a strong reformist government that can transform Bulgaria. This means a very clear program, shared by a well-built team that can implement it. It's important for this team to have a leader who can be trusted from day one."

Political scientist Parvan Simeonov explained that we have yet to find out what kind of Prime Minister Plamen Nikolov would be, but pointed out that the so-called protest parties had set very high demands on the person who is worthy to lead the country and they were not winning from this:

"Demonstrating obvious jealousy towards some ministers’ positions, they see as their own, Democratic Bulgaria further fuels tensions among the apparently inexperienced ITN. In the end, it turns out that we may never be able to find a prime minister. There is hardly such a person in Bulgaria who can meet all the requirements of the protest. The protest has become victim of its own beautiful ambition," the political scientist says.

“Stand up! We are Coming" seem to have reservations when it comes to possible support for Nikolov's cabinet.

"We do not want early elections but a serious and stable government that is able to fulfill its commitments,” the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Tatiana Doncheva said. "We are serious people and we have been looking to minimize the risks of choosing random people and people who proudly say that they are responsible but without knowing why."

"There is Such a People" is expected to present its draft cabinet to the leaders of BSP, "Democratic Bulgaria" and "Stand up. BG! We are Coming!" The three political forces will be invited to a meeting; it has become clear in a letter to the media from the chairman of their parliamentary group, Toshko Yordanov.

Compiled by: Yoan Kolev

English: Alexander Markov



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