CEDB to return government-forming mandate to President, party leader says

By bne IntelliNews May 22, 2013

Boyko Borissov, leader of centre-right CEDB - the party which won the May 12 parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, vowed to return the mandate to form a government to the President right after he receives it on May 23, Dnevnik daily reported. Borissov informed that before giving back the mandate to Plevneliev he will announce his cabinet proposal even though he is certain that it will not be supported by the remaining parties in the parliament.

If CEDB gives up on forming a government, the mandate will go to the second largest party - socialist BSP, which received 26.6% of the votes at the elections.

On Monday, May 20, BSP approved Plamen Oresharski's PM candidacy and also the blueprint for his work if he is to become a premier. In the short-term, the plan will focus on lowering electricity prices, increasing the size of certain social benefits, and changing the price-formation of state-subsidised medicine. Oresharski has also expressed intention to make access to credit easier, increase the minimum wage and reduce the administrative burden.

The ethnic Turk party MRF, BSP's most certain coalition partner, has pledged its support for an Oresharski-led government under the condition that the 10% flat tax that is currently in place is not substituted for a progressive form of taxation.

Radical Ataka, the fourth party in the new parliament and the one with the least number of seats, said that it does not approve of an Oresharski-led cabinet. Interestingly enough, the party's leader Volen Siderov made that statement on the same day in which Ataka's MPs allegedly intentionally did not register to vote during the parliament's first session. As a result the quorum was lowered and Mihail Mikov, parliamentary member from BSP, was elected as the President of the 42nd National Assembly with the votes of 118 deputies. This move was construed as a sign of silent support for a BSP-led government.

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