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Leaders of Bulgaria's rightist Blue Coalition Ivan Kostov (L) and Martin Dimitrov (R) in Parliament. Photo by BGNES.
The Bulgarian rightist Blue Coalition has criticized the center-right GERB cabinet over what it saw as irresponsible energy policy with Russia and threatened to withdraw their support.
Saturday Russian PM Vladimir Putin was on an official trip to Sofia where he met Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and managed to achieve important steps forward in the Belene NPP and especially the South Stream pipeline project.
This has provoked the ire of the Blues, who have long stated their vested interest against Russian energy involvement in Bulgaria.
This is a part of an increased hostility of the rightists towards the GERB cabinet, towards which they have been supportive since its coming into power in July 2009.
Friday the Blue Coalition refrained to support in Parliament the draft state budget for 2011, abstaining from the vote.
Cabinet has the minority support of 117 GERB MPs out of 240 and the backing of 21 MPs from nationalists Ataka, but the support of the Blue Coalition's mere 14 MPs has much more value in terms of international credibility.
Both Blue Coalition and GERB are members of the European People's Party. Saturday Blues' co-leader Ivan Kostov had threatened to refer PM Boyko Borisov to EPP regarding comments apparently glorifying former communist ruler Todor Zhivkov.
Kostov had also threatened to go into opposition should Borisov succumb to Russian pressure over joint energy projects. This was confirmed Sunday by Blue MP Petar Moskov, member of Kostov's Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB).
On their part the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), DSB's partner in the Blue Coalition, came out with an acrimonious declaration Sunday, denouncing the cabinet steps taken Saturday, denouncing them as "gambling and irresponsible."
The UDF further state that "Vladimir Putin's visit to Sofia has in fact increased energy dependence on Russia" and that theh cabinet has burdened Bulgarian citizens with huge but unspecified financial commitments on the South Stream and Belene projects.
The UDF demand from PM Borisov to disclose the exact amount that Bulgaria will have to pay for the South Stream pipe and Belene NPP.
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