Prime Minister Boiko Borissov said that for him, the row between President Georgi Purvanov and Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov, should have ended when Dyankov went to discuss the issue with Purvanov.

On March 15 2010 Borissov held a news conference. This was his first media appearance after Purvanov had said on March 12 2010 that the Government had to make the next move in the row that saw the ruling majority launch a motion of impeachment against the President.

"The issue for me was over the moment I sent Dyankov hoisting the white flag. I sent him so that the issue would be resolved and no more energy wasted on it," Borissov said. According to Borissov, instead of laying the matter to rest on March 12 2010, Purvanov did the opposite, only stiffening the resolve of the parties concerned.

"From now on, everybody is responsible for their own steps. I am not on the move now. My move was played in a very clear way," Borissov said, referring to Purvanov's words that he (Borissov) was on the move now.

Borissov said that Parliament would have the final say on Purvanov's impeachment.

Borissov's party GERB decided to start the procedure after Purvanov published transcripts of a March 5 meeting between himself and Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov online.

Dyankov met Purvanov at Dyankov’s request to resolve the issue over Dyankov's March 1 2010 appearance on Nova Televisia’s Ivan and Andrei chat show. Following the programme, Purvanov’s office asked Dyankov to explain his position regarding references to Purvanov’s alleged properties abroad worth billions - or resign.

After the transcript was published online, Dyankov said that he had not been informed that the meeting was recorded. According to GERB, this violated article 32 of the Bulgarian constitution which says that "no one shall be followed, photographed, filmed, recorded or subjected to any other similar activity without his knowledge or despite his express disapproval, except when such actions are permitted by law".

At his March 12 news conference, Purvanov said that there could be no compromises as long an impeachment procedure against him was underway.

"After the issue gets reviewed by the Constitutional Court, we can start afresh," Purvanov said.

"Right now the impeachment motion casts a shadow on our relations," he said, referring to relations among Bulgaria's institutions of state.

In a March 13 2010 interview with Bulgaria's Darik Radio, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said that GERB would start collecting signatures in Parliament next week to initiate the impeachment procedure.

From the start Borissov has said that he opposed the impeachment procedure but that he had to comply with his party's decision.