Boiko Borissov, whose Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria narrowly took the largest share of votes in Bulgaria’s May 20 elections for members of the European Parliament, exudes confidence that he represents the biggest force in the country’s politics.
His party, formally constituted only last year, with the 2007 MEP elections representing its first foray into electoral politics, beat all three parties in the current tripartite governing coalition. Borissov says he wants Bulgaria to hold its parliamentary elections early, preferably in the autumn, and says that his party will not precipitate such elections: Government failures will bring them about.
Borissov’s party, known by its Bulgarian abbreviation as GERB, fully eclipsed longer-established centrist and right-wing parties like the Union of Democratic Forces and the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria. The leaders of these parties, former president Petar Stoyanov and former prime minister Ivan Kostov, respectively, resigned after it was confirmed that their parties had won too few votes for even one seat in the European Parliament.
At a news conference on May 21, Borissov said: “I propose elections as early as in the autumn, before this country loses everything it has to lose. Two simultaneous elections will save public money,” Borissov said, referring to the municipal elections scheduled for the autumn.
He appeared to hint that he was willing to work with some Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) figures, including President Georgi Purvanov. But Borissov called for the resignations of Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, leader of the BSP, and controversy-hit Cabinet minister Roumen Ovcharov, who is on leave pending the outcome of an official inquiry into alleged abuse of power and corruption.
Borissov said that he had hoped that other right-wing parties would win seats in the European Parliament, because alone GERB would have to “shoulder a huge burden”.
Asked whether GERB could merge with Ataka, the ultra-nationalist group that won fourth place in the MEP elections, Borissov said that GERB and Ataka were running on two parallel tracks and “our electorates do not overlap”.
