GERB lawmaker Temenuzhka Petkova said Bulgaria would probably have had a right-wing president if the right-wing parties had nominated a joint candidate in the latest presidential election. She was the first GERB representative to comment on the vote.

“I regret that there was no united right-wing candidacy. If colleagues from the other right-wing parties had heard our appeal and followed what we proposed, I think Bulgaria would have a right-wing president today,” Petkova said. She added that the election was over and politicians should now look ahead.

GERB did not nominate its own candidate after party leader Boyko Borissov repeatedly called during the summer for “We Continue the Change” and “Democratic Bulgaria” to support a common right-wing candidate. On the day of the runoff, Borissov said he had personally supported Andrey Gyurov as a citizen, but could not force the party to offer “unsolicited support”. GERB and its leader have still not issued an official political assessment of the election.

Asked what she expected from President Yotova, Petkova said the head of state should perform her duties responsibly. “The election is over; from now on, Ms Yotova is the president of all Bulgarians,” she said.

Petkova also addressed Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s remarks about financial excesses, accounting tricks, a real budget deficit above 3% for 2025 and accumulated unpaid liabilities that would affect the 2026 and 2027 budgets. She said the most serious example of financial excess was the contract with Botash.

“Over the past five years, the governments that ruled the longest were those appointed by Rumen Radev as president. These people are not part of the solution but part of the problem,” the lawmaker said. Petkova has previously served as energy minister and finance minister.

She also focused on an Audit Office report concerning the Road Infrastructure Agency, which identified serious financial violations. Petkova said the apparent aim had been to shift responsibility onto previous administrations. She stressed that the agency’s management board had not approved the expenses connected with the certificates identified in the report, and that they had not been accepted.

Petkova accused the government of lying over the money in the second pension pillar. She criticized a proposal under which the 5% contribution for supplementary pensions would be divided, with 2.5% redirected to the state public insurance system. Representatives of the governing majority denied that such ideas had been considered.

“The most dignified thing would be for them to apologize,” Petkova said. In her view, the objective was to reduce the National Insurance Institute’s deficit, but taking money from private pension funds would amount to “pure nationalization”. She also said the government lacked the competence and strength to address the problems.

The lawmaker pointed to what she described as alarming inflation data: inflation reached 6% in October, putting Bulgaria second in the European Union. Petkova linked part of the increase to energy prices and said small businesses were deeply worried about what was ahead. In her view, higher costs are being passed on through the prices of goods and services paid by all citizens.

Source: dir.bg