The Bulgarian National Assembly accepted the resignation of the Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov and the Council of Ministers with 216 votes in favor, reported BGNES.
The resignation is part of the commitment to rotation between GERB and We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (WCC-DB), which states that after the resignation of Nikolay Denkov and the ministers, Maria Gabriel from GERB should become prime minister and a new staff of the Council of Ministers should be elected.
"Despite the sabotage, we are ready to move forward. The resigned cabinet will continue to perform its functions until a new government is elected and will ensure continuity in the rotation", stated Denkov at the beginning of the debates in the plenary hall.
The opposition took the floor during the debates and criticized the cabinet.
"Bulgaria was a leading power in many sectors. It determined the energy balance, what happened in those 30 years? Bulgaria only had shameful governments", said Tsoncho Ganev from "Vazrazhdane" political party.
According to him, Denkov's office trampled on the Constitution, gifted missiles important for Bulgaria's security to Ukraine, and crime has returned. "50 negative opinions from judicial institutions regarding changes in the Constitution, you squatted in front of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and people with dual citizenship can become ministers," Ganev said and continued: "Regarding defense, we gave two nuclear reactors to Ukraine for BGN 2 billion; we gave missiles that ensured the safe existence of our country, now we are totally exposed. On top of that, we are going back to the criminal times and "all the sponsors of WCC-DB are gone". added Tsoncho Ganev.
Georgi Svilenski, deputy chairman of the PG of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), criticized Denkov for leaving the plenary hall before Tsoncho Ganev's statement. According to Svilenski, he is running away from the Bulgarian citizens. "Please return the prime minister to the hall and, of course, make the ministers responsible for what they have achieved," urged Svilenski.
BSP leader Kornelia Ninova also criticized the cabinet. "This government is viciously conceived and absolutely unnatural as an "assemblage", said Ninova, after which she listed how far the cabinet's priorities have been realized. "We achieved 3% Schengen - a priority not fulfilled. Admission to the Eurozone from 2025 is impossible. Controlling inflation to 3%, we finished 2023. by 9%. Fourth priority-PPV and energy changes: Absolutely unfulfilled. The fifth official priority is the creation of real rules for the distribution of money in the municipalities, here 0 work-unfulfilled priority", Ninova believes.
Regarding the legislative program, Kornelia Ninova said that 11 laws have been adopted and 8 ratified out of the planned 80. "You haven't finished that either," added the leader of the BSP.
She also touched on the judicial reform, explaining that there is no elected composition of the Commission for confiscation of illegally acquired property, the Supreme Judicial Council and the Inspectorate and that there is no real reform in the judiciary.
According to her, in the agreement on the joint future management between GERB and WCC-DB, there is not a single proposed reform for health care, education and to increase incomes. "Everything is a division of posts and portions. With the upcoming rotation, you offer us more of the same", added Kornelia Ninova.
Toshko Yordanov from ITN party believes that there were tourist ministers in the cabinet, and the most harmful thing that appeared in the finances was Asen Vassilev. "The resignation should have been made 9 months ago. Denkov is standing here lying. In the last 9 months, the cabinet made stupid proposals to change the date of the national holiday, thanks to the finance minister, the national debt of the country will be 49 billion, and he himself became famous for the "Chatalja" corruption case. You have appointed tourist ministers whose excursions are paid for by taxpayers," Yordanov said.
According to him, there is no Schengen either. "We agreed to accept so many refugees only because of the air and water Schengen and so that the "ladies" from the coalition can boast only in words about what they have done", believes the MP from ITN.
Kiril Petkov and Hristo Ivanov made speeches on behalf of the constitutional majority in the debate that lasted for about 2 hours.
"Acad. Denkov ruled at a time of painful social disunity in Bulgaria, and this disunity is also evident in the plenary hall," said Hristo Ivanov, responding to the opposition. According to the PP-DB co-chairman, there is no political alternative because there are no political ideas. "People come out here to reveal sick truths from their subconscious," believes Ivanov.
He explained that the cabinet had the task of finally solving the parliamentary crisis. "He must be the blade to see if we can look for the language of agreement, of balances. This all happens in the situation of heavy compromises", said Hristo Ivanov and continued specifying that Denkov always kept focus on the important priorities of the country. "Regardless of how this ends, I thank Mr. Denkov," added Ivanov. /BGNES
