In the week that marks 100 days since the beginning of the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov's cabinet, it is time for a reckoning. What has the cabinet of GERB-SDF, BSP and ITN accomplished and has it fulfilled its goals? After surviving two votes of no confidence in less than a month, is the path forward stable and will it hold up after the possible positive opinion for admission to the eurozone? On the air of Nova TV, sociologist Andrey Raichev, political scientist Assoc. Prof. Stoycho Stoychev and journalist Plamena Ignatova.
Andrey Raichev noted that the cabinet's greatest success is that Zhelyazkov has appealed to the people. "He has shown himself to be a smart, flexible, meek and moderate politician. The government is temporary in a fundamental sense. The war in Ukraine is about to be resolved, no one knows how. The possible withdrawal of the US from the peace talks would simply make all political positions temporary, there is uncertainty that prevents decisive action from being taken," he emphasized.
The first test before the government was the vote of no confidence, submitted by Kostadinov's group. It was submitted by “Vazrazhdane” and supported by “Velichye” and MECH. The motive was the cabinet's systematic failure in foreign policy. As expected, only 54 MPs voted “for”, and 150 were ”against”.
For his part, political scientist Assoc. Prof. Stoycho Stoychev pointed out that the coalition works as a format and shared power. “Three different parties have done something in common, which ensures broader representation. The desire for normalization, and not so much the eurozone, is the main motive for the demand for a stable government. It currently creates a feeling of normality and decency, because there are no serious and loud requests. The government does not give indications of possible destabilization from outside,” he commented.
On April 17, the second vote of no confidence against the “Zhelyazkov” cabinet was voted. The submitters are the MECH, “Vazrazhdane” and “Velichye” parties, and the main motive is corruption. The party's chairman Radostin Vassilev collected the necessary signatures with the help of the deputies from „Velichye” and „Vazrazhdane”.
Club Z journalist Plamena Ignatova saw shortcomings. "The basis is that I don't know where Bulgaria stands in terms of foreign policy, we see political signals. GERB-SDF have different opinions on Ukraine, the foreign minister is more balanced, but also hesitant. It is possible that there will be a playful scenario of the good and bad cop. There have been very few regional governors replaced and deputy ministers appointed. The heads of the regional directorates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are the same, appointed by Kalin Stoyanov. It turns out that the government is working well with the current team," she believes.