Tripartite Coalition Agrees on Dropping 4% Parliamentary Election Barrier
Socialists throw a life-belt to NMSP for the general election; NMS will probably trade the 2-in-1 election idea for the chance to enter the parliament again
| 13.02.2009 22:37Dropping the 4% electoral barrier for entering the parliament discussed leaders of the three ruling parties Sergey Stanishev (Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP), Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (National Movement for Stability and Prosperity, NMSP), and Ahmed Dogan (Movement for Rights and Freedoms, MRF) at a 4-plus hour session of the tripartite coalition Friday afternoon. The issue of holding the European MPs and the national general elections on the same day, as NMSP insists, remained unsolved yet. The leaderships of the three parties assigned working groups with continuing consultations on the issue.
Yet BSP’s gesture to drop the barrier will probably predetermine the fate of NMSP’s proposal for 2-in-1 elections, which will be rejected, insiders to the three ruling parties commented. The Socialists and the MRF categorically oppose merging the two votes. Yet Saxe-Coburg’s people insist on it with the hope simultaneous voting in the two types of elections might save them from dropping out of the next parliament. But without the election barrier NMSP’s chances to send representatives to the 41st National Assembly grow significantly.
With dropping the election barrier BSP kills
two birds with one stone.
Apart from saving its current partner in the power, it also limits the chances of Boyko Borissov’s Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) to be the only rightist formation in the next parliament. And in the same time improves the chances of newly formed Forward Coalition, perceived to be a reserve crutch for the Socialists at forming the next majority, to become a parliamentary power.
In response of BSP’s pre-election generosity to the NMSP, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha declared the rebel passions against NMSP’s involvement in the tripartite coalition are all tamed. The mutters of protest within his party and its parliamentary faction, incited by chair of the latter Plamen Mollov, were stifled. The NMSP was in no intention of leaving neither the executive power, nor the National Assembly before the end of its term.
The major accents at the meeting were the government’s economy programme in the months to its term expiry and the European Commission’s report on the measures over the weaknesses pointed out in it. Prime-minister Sergey Stanishev made his partners aware of his motives to accept the resignation of Executive Director of the National Revenue Agency (NRA) Maria Mourguina and acquired their approval on the issue.
By the end of this month a new schedule will be adopted for the next 6 months, covering concrete urgent measures in the fields of justice and interior affairs. Those measures are to be implemented in the period to the next monitoring report of the European Commission due in July. The Political Council of the tripartite ruling coalition agreed on this, the government press office informed.
Priority will be given to introducing parliamentary control over the activity of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), adopting the Law on the Conflict of Interests, and amending the Law on the Commission for Tracking and Confiscation of Assets Acquired through Criminal Activity (better known as the Kushlev Commission).
Participants to the Political Council decided BGN 250 million from the government investment program shall be restructured in order of supporting the real sector in the conditions of world financial crisis.
On Friday, 13 February, the leaders of the three parties in power – Prime-Minister Sergey Stanishev, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and Ahmer Dogan, and the leaderships of BSP, NMSP, and MRF, met in the Lozenetz Residence in downtown Sofia to discuss the EC report, measures against the financial crisis, and election legislation. The meeting stated at 3:00 pm. By the end of this month a
new schedule for the next 6 months
will be adopted, containing concrete urgent measures over justice and domestic affairs. The measures will be implemented until EC’s next monitoring report, expected in July. The Political Council of the tripartite ruling coalition agreed on this, the government press office said.
The participants to the political council united around the position that priority shall be given to adopting the Law on the Conflict of Interests, amending the Law on the Commission for Tracking and Confiscation of Assets Acquired through Criminal Activity, and establishing an effective parliamentary control over SANS. The latest intermediate report of EC officially published yesterday, for the first time criticized the Bulgarian parliament for the lack of such control.
Members of the political council have also recommended the schedule was ambitious, yet feasible and pragmatic. The leaderships of the ruling parties expressed their satisfaction of the significantly
improved level of communication with Brussels
and the coordination between Bulgarian institutions. The better communication with Brussels is one of the reasons for the milder tone of the latest report.
The Political Council discussed also the priorities of the cabinet’s investment programme in regard of the implementation of their anti-crisis Plan for Economic Stability and Progress in 2009. The council members decided to restructure BGN 250 million from the government public investment programme for supporting the real sector in the conditions of world financial crisis. The money will be directed towards new jobs creation, securing employment, businesses sustainability and helping Bulgaria’s economy growth, and municipal projects. The final projects are to be approved in a week.
The ruling parties also discussed the election legislation and the preparation for the forthcoming elections for European and national parliaments.
The major difference between the coalition partners is over holding 2-in-1 elections and changing the Constitution, as NMSP insists. But BSP and MRF don’t back this proposal of their partner. Prior to the Political Council, BSP MPs stated firmly for Bulgaria-news they were heading to the session in unchanged mind on this issue.
Yet BSP’s gesture to drop the barrier will probably predetermine the fate of NMSP’s proposal for 2-in-1 elections, which will be rejected, insiders to the three ruling parties commented. The Socialists and the MRF categorically oppose merging the two votes. Yet Saxe-Coburg’s people insist on it with the hope simultaneous voting in the two types of elections might save them from dropping out of the next parliament. But without the election barrier NMSP’s chances to send representatives to the 41st National Assembly grow significantly.
With dropping the election barrier BSP kills
two birds with one stone.
Apart from saving its current partner in the power, it also limits the chances of Boyko Borissov’s Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) to be the only rightist formation in the next parliament. And in the same time improves the chances of newly formed Forward Coalition, perceived to be a reserve crutch for the Socialists at forming the next majority, to become a parliamentary power.
In response of BSP’s pre-election generosity to the NMSP, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha declared the rebel passions against NMSP’s involvement in the tripartite coalition are all tamed. The mutters of protest within his party and its parliamentary faction, incited by chair of the latter Plamen Mollov, were stifled. The NMSP was in no intention of leaving neither the executive power, nor the National Assembly before the end of its term.
The major accents at the meeting were the government’s economy programme in the months to its term expiry and the European Commission’s report on the measures over the weaknesses pointed out in it. Prime-minister Sergey Stanishev made his partners aware of his motives to accept the resignation of Executive Director of the National Revenue Agency (NRA) Maria Mourguina and acquired their approval on the issue.
By the end of this month a new schedule will be adopted for the next 6 months, covering concrete urgent measures in the fields of justice and interior affairs. Those measures are to be implemented in the period to the next monitoring report of the European Commission due in July. The Political Council of the tripartite ruling coalition agreed on this, the government press office informed.
Priority will be given to introducing parliamentary control over the activity of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), adopting the Law on the Conflict of Interests, and amending the Law on the Commission for Tracking and Confiscation of Assets Acquired through Criminal Activity (better known as the Kushlev Commission).
Participants to the Political Council decided BGN 250 million from the government investment program shall be restructured in order of supporting the real sector in the conditions of world financial crisis.
On Friday, 13 February, the leaders of the three parties in power – Prime-Minister Sergey Stanishev, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and Ahmer Dogan, and the leaderships of BSP, NMSP, and MRF, met in the Lozenetz Residence in downtown Sofia to discuss the EC report, measures against the financial crisis, and election legislation. The meeting stated at 3:00 pm. By the end of this month a
new schedule for the next 6 months
will be adopted, containing concrete urgent measures over justice and domestic affairs. The measures will be implemented until EC’s next monitoring report, expected in July. The Political Council of the tripartite ruling coalition agreed on this, the government press office said.
The participants to the political council united around the position that priority shall be given to adopting the Law on the Conflict of Interests, amending the Law on the Commission for Tracking and Confiscation of Assets Acquired through Criminal Activity, and establishing an effective parliamentary control over SANS. The latest intermediate report of EC officially published yesterday, for the first time criticized the Bulgarian parliament for the lack of such control.
Members of the political council have also recommended the schedule was ambitious, yet feasible and pragmatic. The leaderships of the ruling parties expressed their satisfaction of the significantly
improved level of communication with Brussels
and the coordination between Bulgarian institutions. The better communication with Brussels is one of the reasons for the milder tone of the latest report.
The Political Council discussed also the priorities of the cabinet’s investment programme in regard of the implementation of their anti-crisis Plan for Economic Stability and Progress in 2009. The council members decided to restructure BGN 250 million from the government public investment programme for supporting the real sector in the conditions of world financial crisis. The money will be directed towards new jobs creation, securing employment, businesses sustainability and helping Bulgaria’s economy growth, and municipal projects. The final projects are to be approved in a week.
The ruling parties also discussed the election legislation and the preparation for the forthcoming elections for European and national parliaments.
The major difference between the coalition partners is over holding 2-in-1 elections and changing the Constitution, as NMSP insists. But BSP and MRF don’t back this proposal of their partner. Prior to the Political Council, BSP MPs stated firmly for Bulgaria-news they were heading to the session in unchanged mind on this issue.
.JPG)
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