Consultations among the parties, represented in Bulgarian parliament – GERB, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and Ataka – on the resignation of Plamen Oresharski’s cabinet and the date for holding early general elections in Bulgaria, were rescheduled, this time for Friday, 27 June. And once again with the motive that some of the parties’ leaders had urgent business in Brussels. This was made clear by Sergey Stanishev, leader of the mandate holder, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and of the Party of European Socialists. Surprisingly, he gave up his seat in Bulgarian parliament to become an MEP, though he had staunchly denied he would do so, over and over again. And he explained away his decision with his new “mission” in the altered situation in Bulgaria and in the EU after the European Parliament elections. But contrary to all expectations, he did not resign as BSP leader.

A week ago, the Consultative Council for National Security with President Rossen Plevneliev negotiated the holding of party consultations on early elections, scheduling them for Tuesday. The tentative peace was broken the very same day this difficult accord had been reached. There followed vociferous mud-slinging attacks between the biggest opposition party GERB and the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party-Movement for Rights and Freedoms coalition, with the tacit support of Ataka. The political crisis hit rock bottom, threatening to spill over and trigger a crisis in the banking system. Making the entire picture unpredictable with the ensuing administrative and information chaos. The wheeling and dealing and the speculations of a cabinet resignation are now the political players’ principal occupation. All kinds of mutually exclusive rumours sprouted, including of secret deals between GERB and the BSP, between GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms etc., for postponing the early vote. And this continued one whole week, right up to Tuesday, when accord was not reached.

For Radio Bulgaria, the leaders of the two biggest parties in Bulgaria GERB and the BSP, Boyko Borissov and Sergey Stanishev confirmed they were in favour of early general elections in the autumn, stating the formation of a new cabinet within the term of office of this National Assembly was not possible. Asked whether GERB would take part in the consultations on the holding of elections, as stated by the mandate holder, the BSP, Boyko Borissov, who proposed September 14 as election date – a fortnight before the time window, negotiated at the Consultative Council for National Security – was categorical:

“I see no point in my taking part. At these consultations all they will have to do is set the date for elections. And I am in agreement with any date they propose. They will read and see what I have said. While on other issues we have nothing to consult on, because they have already done everything that is important to them. So I see nothing we can consult about. I will tell them the same thing and if I have to, I’ll leave. But if it’s a matter of playing games for show… Otherwise all they have to do is sit down and set a date for the elections. What is there to consult on? They have broken all agreements, and brutally.”

Meanwhile the minor coalition partner, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, has kept its silence. As has the tacit supporter of the coalition, Ataka. However, after the BSP Executive Bureau meeting, Sergey Stanishev stated he was not giving up on the cabinet. Yet, he said he would be officially inviting the parties, represented in parliament, for talks on early elections on Friday. So, which is true and which is not? Does he want elections and when? Asked to give voters an unequivocal answer – what he is proposing exactly and what he will do, Stanishev gave the following long-winded answer:

“I shall wait to hear what the other political forces have to say on Friday. As a matter of fact, the possible dates the consultations will centre on have been set. They are in the period from September 28 until October 12 this year. Different views must be heard for accord to be reached. To my mind things are self-evident,” he said, going back to the cliché of the week, and vowed: “I have never misled anyone. I say what is on my mind. We have a plan of action, we discussed it at the Executive Bureau. In fact we have a well-defined mandate for the negotiations. But we shall be commenting on the political process and all steps taken by the BSP at the National Council’s meeting next week.”

It is as yet unclear what position the Movement for Rights and Freedoms will take. Earlier, its leader Lyutvi Mestan stated that the Oresharski cabinet has a finite term of office but did not demand its resignation in so many words; as to the date of early elections he will bear in mind the opinion of the mandate holder, despite the rift between the coalition partners. Officially, the two parties retracted their confidence in the government, but the steps they took at the National Assembly during the week seem to be aimed at postponing the resignation. On Tuesday, Premier Oresharski himself stated he didn’t know when he would be handing it in. In his words, the problem rested with the political branch and not with the executive. However, the institutions are deadlocked, until the parties sit down at the negotiating table on Friday to get to grips with the country’s agenda – the resignation of the government and early elections for National Assembly.

English: Milena Daynova