Bulgaria’s ruling GERB party has indicated it might back off from accepting the resignations of three ministers over a deadly bus crash last month, angering the country’s biggest opposition party, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which on September 4 demanded an early general election and announced it is leaving the parliament. 

On August 31, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Valentin Radev, Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski and Regional Development Minister Nikolay Nankov over their political responsibility for a bus crash that killed 17 people and left many more wounded six days earlier. This seriously shook GERB’s coalition with its junior partner, the far-right United Patriots. It provoked Valeri Simeonov, one of the leaders of the United Patriots, to give a final ultimatum to Borissov to change the way the coalition is working and start making decisions more transparently.

Following Simeonov’s statements, on September 4 Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Borissov’s right hand in GERB and leader of the party’s parliamentary group, told bTV that the resignations might not be accepted, recalling two similar cases earlier this year.

“The prime minister accepted the resignations of the three ministers. They will be voted upon after we approve the respective personnel changes within the coalition council. We will debate each of those resignations on Monday at the coalition council,” Tsvetanov said.

A similar scenario played out with the resignations of Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Social Affairs Minister Bisser Petkov. Petkova resigned in February over her friendship with owner of the obscure local firm Inercom that was unexpectedly selected by Czech power company CEZ to buy its Bulgarian assets. At the time, Petkova said she was advised to submit her resignation by Borissov, who later refused to accept it in order to please the United Patriots.

In June, Petkov also tabled his resignation following months of tensions between the government and parents of disabled children over the state’s social policy. Initially Borissov accepted it, but a day later made a u-turn apparently after public pressure to keep Petkov in his position.

Although Tsvetanov claimed the government was stable, analysts see in his statement signals that Borissov is weak and extremely dependent on his junior coalition partner.

A poll conducted by Alpha Research has suggested that resignations would not save Borissov this time as, although nearly two-thirds of people approve of them, this had not increased the support for the third-time prime minister.

Meanwhile, at the opening session of parliament following the summer vacation, BSP leader Kornelia Ninova said that her party is leaving parliament.

“20 MPs from the BSP will stay in the hall, while the others are going to the people, offering a hand for a new model,” Ninova said in a rather emotional speech.

She added that her party does not want the government’s resignation anymore, but early elections. She has not elaborated on the proposed new model, but indicated that the party might try to organise an anti-government rally.

“Dear Bulgarians, we do not say that we are the best and the ones who have made up the best future model of Bulgaria. … We are going to you, we do not want your voices for BSP. We need your national energy,” Ninova said.

She added that Bulgaria needs a change in the system of ruling the country, not changes to its laws.