Bulgaria’s May 12 2013 national parliamentary elections saw the
question of which parties will form a governing coalition after the
elections at the forefront – with at least one conspiracy theory on
offer.
Recent opinion polls of three different agencies all have suggested that while Boiko Borissov’s centre-right GERB party appears set for the largest share of it votes, neither it nor its electoral rival, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, has any chance of a victory decisive enough to govern alone.
Borissov’s party may be getting the largest share of votes but being unable to come up with a governing coalition, and having to cede the chance to rule to a coalition of the socialists, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and Meglena Kouneva’s Bulgaria for Citizens party – the latter tripartite coalition emerging as a slightly revamped version of the socialist-led 2005 to 2009 government.
Tsvetan Tsvetanov, a powerful figure in GERB and its campaign leader, has sent mixed messages in recent days.
On April 12, the day that the official campaign period started, Tsvetanov was reported as having said that on May 12 GERB would say whether it would enter a coalition with the MRF and Kouneva’s party. Soon before that, Tsvetanov had firmly rejected the notion that GERB might form a coalition government with the MRF, the socialists and ultra-nationalists Ataka, but then later, Tsvetanov said that if GERB could not form a government after May 12, it would seek a coalition with other political parties “in the name of Bulgaria”.
On April 14, Yane Yanev – leader of the miniscule Order Law and Justice party, which has had an on-off political relationship with Borissov’s GERB and is seen by pollsters as having less than scant chance of returning to parliament – said that President Rossen Plevneliev, the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the MRF had held secret talks about putting forward Bulgaria’s European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva as prime minister.
This is in spite of the BSP having said that its candidate for prime minister would be Plamen Oresharski, finance minister in the Stanishev 2005-2009 governing coalition. Stanishev himself has said that he would not return to office as prime minister if his party won the election.
Yanev said that the talks had been held between Plevneliev, MRF leader Lyutvi Mestan and Stanishev about making Georgieva prime minister in an “expert” “non-party” government. Oresharski was nothing but a decoy, a duck to shoot at, Yanev said.
His claim was dismissed by the BSP as an “absolute lie”.
The MRF, which has a long record of forming working political relationships with the socialists, has said that it does not rule out supporting a GERB government after May 12, if the government’s programme coincides with the priorities of the MRF.
This message, sent earlier this past week, was repeated when MRF leader Mestan spoke in the party’s stronghold town of Kurdjali on April 13, saying that “we must revive the coalition form of government”.
Volen Siderov, leader of Ataka, has said that his party would not form a coalition with any other party. Ataka has had a significant boost in recent weeks amid national discontent and the most recent poll by Mediana showed Siderov’s party as outstripping the MRF in numbers of seats in the next National Assembly.
Meanwhile, major election events were held on April 13, with Borissov telling a GERB rally in Plovdiv – one of two places where he heads the candidates list – that the protesters of the past months had numbered 150 000 “but the Bulgarians who voted for us numbered 1.5 million and we are morally entitled to run this country”.
In several major cities in Bulgaria, GERB began handing out election campaign materials on April 13, including a booklet of infrastructure projects opened during Borissov’s time as prime minister, from 2009 to March 2013.
In Sofia, Stanishev told a rally in South Park, “We do not campaign for power and positions but for the clear cause that we are duty bound to bring down this pernicious government that mocked at people for three and a half years. Our only cause is to give Bulgaria back to the people”.
“Let me feel your energy, the desire for change,” Stanishev said.
A total of 7200 Bulgarians are candidates in the May 12 national parliamentary elections, and just 240 will make it into the National Assembly.
Who will become the members of the 42nd National Assembly will be determined by whoever turns out to vote from among the more than 6.9 million citizens eligible to vote in this country of 7.3 million.
As of April 12, the official campaigning period for the elections has begun, with 38 political parties and seven coalitions in the field. Of these, going by opinion polls, it is most realistic to expect that about five will make it into Parliament.
On April 12, polling agency Mediana said that its figures showed GERB currently getting 26.4 per cent support and the socialists 23.7 per cent, after a poll conducted among 1000 citizens between April 5 and 9. This was a narrowing of the gap of five to seven per cent between the two parties in last month’s poll.
Ataka had 6.2 per cent support and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms 5.8 percent. In March, Mediana’s poll showed the MRF at 7.9 per cent and Ataka at 4.3 per cent.
Kouneva’s party would get 4.5 per cent, according to Mediana.
Mediana’s Nikola Kolev said that GERB’s lead was so fragile that the party would be well-advised not to rely on it. “Practically, so far it seems there will be five parties in Parliament, with relative parity between the two major political forces. Woe to those who try to form a government in such a situation”.
he main task of the current government was the organisation of free, democratic, transparent and fair parliamentary elections, Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Marin Raykov told a gathering of foreign diplomats in Veliko Turnovo on April 12 2013.
Raykov presented the main priorities of the caretaker cabinet, in regard to Bulgarian participation in and implementation of EU policies, energy and regional policies, the country’s commitments in support of international efforts in defence of security and sustainable development, the fight against international terrorism; strategic partnerships and support for Bulgarian communities abroad.
“Effective and transparent use of EU financial instruments and funds is a responsible commitment by the caretaker government, because these funds are an important tool for investment in growth and jobs and in achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy,” he said.
Raykov said that among the most urgent tasks of the Bulgarian government was tackling unemployment, especially among young people.
He expressed the hope that, taking into account the results achieved and the criteria for accession to the Schengen area, EU member states that had reservations would adopt a constructive policy and support a common pragmatic approach.
Achieving order, efficiency and transparency in the energy sector in Bulgaria is an important agenda item for the government, Raykov said, focusing on the government’s legislative changes in the sector. “Diversification, liberalisation and achieving better energy efficiency are the correct steps in this regard,” he said.
Building a region of stability, prosperity and security in South Eastern Europe, based on European values, principles and legislation to achieve the well-being of our communities is one of Bulgaria’s main foreign policy priorities, he said.
“We want more Europe in the region,” he said, adding that as a member of the EU and NATO, Bulgaria was one of the most active supporters of Euro-Atlantic integration of the region.
Raykov said that the upcoming accession of Croatia to the EU on July 1 2013 would send a clear message to the rest of the region that EU membership was attainable when implementing the established criteria and standards. These efforts should be directed towards ensuring the rule of law, developing a rule-of-law state, the development of regional co-operation and good neighbourly relations and dealing with economic and social challenges, he said.
“For Bulgaria, good neighbourly relations are not only a requirement for EU enlargement but also key to the development of our bilateral relations with the Republic of Macedonia,” Raykov said. He outlined the direction in which these relationships must be developed, with an emphasis on a constructive approach in talks, the signing soon of a treaty on good neighbourliness and co-operation, and the creation of a mechanism for increased contacts between the two countries.
“Bulgaria supports the achievement of the European perspective of the Republic of Macedonia – for us there is no alternative to that. Our commitment to the European perspective of the Republic of Macedonia, however, is not enough. It would be good if it was bound to it,” Raykov said.
Of particular relevance today was the issue of maintaining or achieving peace and stability in the world.
“As a member of the EU, and a responsible and constructive partner in the EU and other forums of multilateral diplomacy, Bulgaria is actively involved in international efforts in support of peace, security and development,” Raykov said.
In speaking about the achievement of regional and global security, one could not be indifferent to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and in particular the crisis in Syria, which has reached a catastrophic level, he said.
“It is in our common interest that problems are solved using the tools of diplomacy, political dialogue and negotiations,” Raykov said.
Bulgaria supports peaceful democratic processes in the Middle East, on the basis of national dialogue and respect for democratic legal order. “We are ready for co-operation with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, to seek new opportunities to boost economic ties, cultural and educational exchanges,” he said.
Bulgaria would continue to be actively involved, together with its allies and partners, in the fight against international terrorism, said Raykov, “because effective counter-terrorism requires intensive and co-ordinated efforts by the wider international community”. Bulgaria is continuing its investigation into the terrorist act in Bourgas last summer, in which five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian were killed, and will provide all the evidence to its partners and allies in the EU and NATO, he said.
Security and defence is a priority area for Bulgaria, as a full member of Nato. “We are facing many new challenges in this area – on the agenda is cybersecurity and achieving the close integration of the defence capabilities of Nato,” Raykov said.
Establishment of a free trade area in the Euro-Atlantic area would be a strong incentive for economic prosperity in the world, Raykov said. He emphasised that the government was continuing to work to expand and deepen the strategic partnership with the US and Russia and other countries of the Black Sea region, on the basis of common values and shared interests.
He expressed the government’s commitment to “the preservation and dissemination of Bulgarian culture, identity and language, as well as guaranteeing the rights of Bulgarians and Bulgarian-language communities around the world”.
Recent opinion polls of three different agencies all have suggested that while Boiko Borissov’s centre-right GERB party appears set for the largest share of it votes, neither it nor its electoral rival, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, has any chance of a victory decisive enough to govern alone.
Borissov’s party may be getting the largest share of votes but being unable to come up with a governing coalition, and having to cede the chance to rule to a coalition of the socialists, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and Meglena Kouneva’s Bulgaria for Citizens party – the latter tripartite coalition emerging as a slightly revamped version of the socialist-led 2005 to 2009 government.
Tsvetan Tsvetanov, a powerful figure in GERB and its campaign leader, has sent mixed messages in recent days.
On April 12, the day that the official campaign period started, Tsvetanov was reported as having said that on May 12 GERB would say whether it would enter a coalition with the MRF and Kouneva’s party. Soon before that, Tsvetanov had firmly rejected the notion that GERB might form a coalition government with the MRF, the socialists and ultra-nationalists Ataka, but then later, Tsvetanov said that if GERB could not form a government after May 12, it would seek a coalition with other political parties “in the name of Bulgaria”.
On April 14, Yane Yanev – leader of the miniscule Order Law and Justice party, which has had an on-off political relationship with Borissov’s GERB and is seen by pollsters as having less than scant chance of returning to parliament – said that President Rossen Plevneliev, the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the MRF had held secret talks about putting forward Bulgaria’s European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva as prime minister.
This is in spite of the BSP having said that its candidate for prime minister would be Plamen Oresharski, finance minister in the Stanishev 2005-2009 governing coalition. Stanishev himself has said that he would not return to office as prime minister if his party won the election.
Yanev said that the talks had been held between Plevneliev, MRF leader Lyutvi Mestan and Stanishev about making Georgieva prime minister in an “expert” “non-party” government. Oresharski was nothing but a decoy, a duck to shoot at, Yanev said.
His claim was dismissed by the BSP as an “absolute lie”.
The MRF, which has a long record of forming working political relationships with the socialists, has said that it does not rule out supporting a GERB government after May 12, if the government’s programme coincides with the priorities of the MRF.
This message, sent earlier this past week, was repeated when MRF leader Mestan spoke in the party’s stronghold town of Kurdjali on April 13, saying that “we must revive the coalition form of government”.
Volen Siderov, leader of Ataka, has said that his party would not form a coalition with any other party. Ataka has had a significant boost in recent weeks amid national discontent and the most recent poll by Mediana showed Siderov’s party as outstripping the MRF in numbers of seats in the next National Assembly.
Meanwhile, major election events were held on April 13, with Borissov telling a GERB rally in Plovdiv – one of two places where he heads the candidates list – that the protesters of the past months had numbered 150 000 “but the Bulgarians who voted for us numbered 1.5 million and we are morally entitled to run this country”.
In several major cities in Bulgaria, GERB began handing out election campaign materials on April 13, including a booklet of infrastructure projects opened during Borissov’s time as prime minister, from 2009 to March 2013.
In Sofia, Stanishev told a rally in South Park, “We do not campaign for power and positions but for the clear cause that we are duty bound to bring down this pernicious government that mocked at people for three and a half years. Our only cause is to give Bulgaria back to the people”.
“Let me feel your energy, the desire for change,” Stanishev said.
A total of 7200 Bulgarians are candidates in the May 12 national parliamentary elections, and just 240 will make it into the National Assembly.
Who will become the members of the 42nd National Assembly will be determined by whoever turns out to vote from among the more than 6.9 million citizens eligible to vote in this country of 7.3 million.
As of April 12, the official campaigning period for the elections has begun, with 38 political parties and seven coalitions in the field. Of these, going by opinion polls, it is most realistic to expect that about five will make it into Parliament.
On April 12, polling agency Mediana said that its figures showed GERB currently getting 26.4 per cent support and the socialists 23.7 per cent, after a poll conducted among 1000 citizens between April 5 and 9. This was a narrowing of the gap of five to seven per cent between the two parties in last month’s poll.
Ataka had 6.2 per cent support and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms 5.8 percent. In March, Mediana’s poll showed the MRF at 7.9 per cent and Ataka at 4.3 per cent.
Kouneva’s party would get 4.5 per cent, according to Mediana.
Mediana’s Nikola Kolev said that GERB’s lead was so fragile that the party would be well-advised not to rely on it. “Practically, so far it seems there will be five parties in Parliament, with relative parity between the two major political forces. Woe to those who try to form a government in such a situation”.
he main task of the current government was the organisation of free, democratic, transparent and fair parliamentary elections, Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Marin Raykov told a gathering of foreign diplomats in Veliko Turnovo on April 12 2013.
Raykov presented the main priorities of the caretaker cabinet, in regard to Bulgarian participation in and implementation of EU policies, energy and regional policies, the country’s commitments in support of international efforts in defence of security and sustainable development, the fight against international terrorism; strategic partnerships and support for Bulgarian communities abroad.
“Effective and transparent use of EU financial instruments and funds is a responsible commitment by the caretaker government, because these funds are an important tool for investment in growth and jobs and in achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy,” he said.
Raykov said that among the most urgent tasks of the Bulgarian government was tackling unemployment, especially among young people.
He expressed the hope that, taking into account the results achieved and the criteria for accession to the Schengen area, EU member states that had reservations would adopt a constructive policy and support a common pragmatic approach.
Achieving order, efficiency and transparency in the energy sector in Bulgaria is an important agenda item for the government, Raykov said, focusing on the government’s legislative changes in the sector. “Diversification, liberalisation and achieving better energy efficiency are the correct steps in this regard,” he said.
Building a region of stability, prosperity and security in South Eastern Europe, based on European values, principles and legislation to achieve the well-being of our communities is one of Bulgaria’s main foreign policy priorities, he said.
“We want more Europe in the region,” he said, adding that as a member of the EU and NATO, Bulgaria was one of the most active supporters of Euro-Atlantic integration of the region.
Raykov said that the upcoming accession of Croatia to the EU on July 1 2013 would send a clear message to the rest of the region that EU membership was attainable when implementing the established criteria and standards. These efforts should be directed towards ensuring the rule of law, developing a rule-of-law state, the development of regional co-operation and good neighbourly relations and dealing with economic and social challenges, he said.
“For Bulgaria, good neighbourly relations are not only a requirement for EU enlargement but also key to the development of our bilateral relations with the Republic of Macedonia,” Raykov said. He outlined the direction in which these relationships must be developed, with an emphasis on a constructive approach in talks, the signing soon of a treaty on good neighbourliness and co-operation, and the creation of a mechanism for increased contacts between the two countries.
“Bulgaria supports the achievement of the European perspective of the Republic of Macedonia – for us there is no alternative to that. Our commitment to the European perspective of the Republic of Macedonia, however, is not enough. It would be good if it was bound to it,” Raykov said.
Of particular relevance today was the issue of maintaining or achieving peace and stability in the world.
“As a member of the EU, and a responsible and constructive partner in the EU and other forums of multilateral diplomacy, Bulgaria is actively involved in international efforts in support of peace, security and development,” Raykov said.
In speaking about the achievement of regional and global security, one could not be indifferent to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and in particular the crisis in Syria, which has reached a catastrophic level, he said.
“It is in our common interest that problems are solved using the tools of diplomacy, political dialogue and negotiations,” Raykov said.
Bulgaria supports peaceful democratic processes in the Middle East, on the basis of national dialogue and respect for democratic legal order. “We are ready for co-operation with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, to seek new opportunities to boost economic ties, cultural and educational exchanges,” he said.
Bulgaria would continue to be actively involved, together with its allies and partners, in the fight against international terrorism, said Raykov, “because effective counter-terrorism requires intensive and co-ordinated efforts by the wider international community”. Bulgaria is continuing its investigation into the terrorist act in Bourgas last summer, in which five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian were killed, and will provide all the evidence to its partners and allies in the EU and NATO, he said.
Security and defence is a priority area for Bulgaria, as a full member of Nato. “We are facing many new challenges in this area – on the agenda is cybersecurity and achieving the close integration of the defence capabilities of Nato,” Raykov said.
Establishment of a free trade area in the Euro-Atlantic area would be a strong incentive for economic prosperity in the world, Raykov said. He emphasised that the government was continuing to work to expand and deepen the strategic partnership with the US and Russia and other countries of the Black Sea region, on the basis of common values and shared interests.
He expressed the government’s commitment to “the preservation and dissemination of Bulgarian culture, identity and language, as well as guaranteeing the rights of Bulgarians and Bulgarian-language communities around the world”.
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