Title: Democratic Bulgaria Keeps Promise, GERB‘s Push for New Budget
In a surprising turn of events, Democratic Bulgaria (DB) honored its commitment by voting against the extension of last year’s budget, lending support to GERB’s push for a new budget. Meanwhile, GERB, the party of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, backed the changes that would halt the appointment of Borislav Saraffov as the new chief prosecutor.
Two key votes took place in the National Assembly’s Budget and Legal Affairs Committees just two days after GERB officially terminated coalition talks. DB’s "yes" vote helped GERB advance its proposal to extend last year’s budget rather than considering the cabinet’s 2025 budget proposal drafted by Finance Minister Ludmila Petkova. This move was a U-turn for DB, who had previously agreed with GERB, the ITN, and BSP to only extend the old budget until the end of March.
"We have an understanding that the new budget frame should be prepared by the regular government," a GBERB party official said.
However, DB’s Martin Dimitrov voted against Asen Vassilev’s, the chair of the committee and a DB MP, proposal to prioritize the cabinet’s projects. Dimitrov, along with his GERB, ITN, and BSP colleagues, voted to approve BSP’s propositions for zero VAT on medicines paid for by the healthcare system and the extension of the zero-rate for bread.
In the Legal Affairs Committee, the three projects to amend the Judiciary Act were approved. These amendments, supported by GERB, aim to block Borislav Saraffov’s appointment as the new chief prosecutor. The vote was a green light for GERB, signaling DB and ITN’s approval. The projects will now move to the plenary session, where another vote is required before they can become law.
While the voting session was underway, GERB acknowledged that they would proceed politically, legally, and responsibly. Party spokespersonrays muttered no surprises about the voting results.
Before the votes took place, all parties observed a respectful silence after President Rumen Radev urged them to not rush into a stalemate. The unofficial agreement was to wait until Wednesday to find out if the quadripartite coalition could be realized. If the negotiations fail, Borisov may attempt to form a minority government instead.
Earlier today, GERB calculated that they had the support of 119 MPs from GERB, BSP, ITN, and MIR; this figure would be sufficient to form a minority government. However, the recent developments show that GERB’s coalition partners from "Yes, Bulgaria" and DB are honoring their agreements. MEP Radostin Vasilev, leader of MIR, was non-committal about supporting a minority government, citing his aspirations to increase his party’s representation in the next general election.
The unexpected decision by "DPS-New Beginning" to support the texts of PPDB and ITN, opposing Saraffov’s election, raised eyebrows in the Legal Affairs Committee. The judicial reforms are set to be voted on next Tuesday.
