Ex-Commissioner Kuneva Snubs Bulgarian Socialists

Former EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, who is leading a new Bulgarian political party, snubbed an approachment call by the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party.

Over last week, the Socialists had announced an intiative for a wide agreement for fair elections amongst opposition parties, after concerns that summer 2013 general elections might suffer irregularities similar to those in the fall 2011 presidential and municipal elections in Bulgaria.

"We from Bulgaria for Citizens were the first to raise the issue of fair and rigged elections in Bulgaria, and it is strange that only now others are taking up the topic," said Kuneva at a press conference in Samokov Thursday.

"As far as I can see, the Bulgarian Socialist Party has taken up no measures whatsoever to ensure that the next elections are fair," added she.

"Therefore I consider as partners in the issue neither the ruling GERB party nor the Socialists, but civil society as a whole," said the former Commissioner, thus in effect snubbing the Socialists' proposal.

In addition, she voiced once again concerns that GERB are preparing to rig the general elections in order to ensure the formation of a second one-party cabinet of their own.

"No matter what percentage Citizens for Bulgaria gets in the elections, there is no way we will form a coalition with GERB," stated Kuneva.

The chances for a post-election coalition between Kuneva's Citizens for Bulgaria and either GERB or the Bulgarian Socialist Party is an important matter of speculation for analysts in Bulgaria at the moment.

As things stand now, the three parties, along with the liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms, are the ones almost certain to enter into the next Parliament, with none of them, except perhaps GERB, likely to get an absolute majority.