Bulgaria: Mariya Gabriel and GERB will try and Fulfil the First Mandate by offering an Expert Cabinet

Prime Minister nominee Mariya Gabriel stated in the National Assembly that she will fulfill the first exploratory mandate and return the folder with the structure and composition of the government to the head of state on Monday.

"I will fulfill the mandate and return it to the president. I remain open to talks with everyone, but we are already moving to the next stage - support for a government with the first mandate with clear topics and priorities; an expert government for 1 year. We will now talk about names and composition of the Council of Ministers".

Despite the withdrawal of BSP from GERB-SDS, they cannot count on "Vazrazhdane", since the principled position, repeatedly stated by the leader Kostadin Kostadinov, is that they will not support the first mandate. Therefore, according to Gabriel, it makes no sense and logic to have such conversations with the formation.

When asked by the National Radio whether she would agree to be a candidate for prime minister for the second mandate and whether GERB-SDS would support this option, Gabriel said:

"I stand before you with my name, with my reputation. I think that when I want to stand before you again, saying that I will remain consistent, you yourself will remember what my answer is."

Mariya Gabriel stressed that she does not regret that as a key priority in her government she indicated the request for the release of the chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev and specified:

"Seeing what is happening, I ask myself how important it was to take this step. I said very clearly that we are not talking about a personal change, I very clearly outlined my competencies. There is a Minister of Justice, there is a Supreme Judicial Council, there is a procedure. For me,...