By helping organize the referendum on nuclear energy, Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Sergey Stanishev has dealt the death blow to the new Belene NPP project, commented Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov.
According to the Bulgarian PM, who went out to vote just 30 mins before stations closed at 7 pm, the referendum spelled the end of Belene with its irrelevance and the apathy shown by voters.
Initial exit polls suggest that turnout is a bit over 20%, with most of the votes in favor for a new NPP.
If true, this means that the question of whether Bulgaria needs to build a new NPP must be now referred for new discussion in parliament.
The referendum was called by a public petition, supported by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, after PM Borisov's cabinet decided to freeze the Belene NPP project in March 2012.
"Stanishev has done most of the work for killing the project, with his inaction when he was PM [2005-9]," quipped Borisov.
"So I don't want him to resign now. He's a smart guy and is useful for Bulgaria," added the PM.
Borisov's ironic comments were supposedly grounded in his belief that the Belene NPP project, designed to be built by Russian company Atomstroyexport, is economically disadvantageous to Bulgaria.