Socialist, PES Chief: Bulgaria's 2013 Budget Butchering Nation

The newly adopted 2013 State Budget Act sponsored by the ruling center-right party GERB is butchering vital sectors in Bulgaria, according to Sergey Stanishev, chair of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party and head of the Party of European Socialists (PES).

Stanishev commented Saturday on the 2013 budget, which was adopted amidst scandals on Thursday.

"GERB will leave behind a decaying state, empty coffers, and gigantic poverty," the BSP leader said addressing the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, as cited by Darik Radio.

"In the next elections we want to put an end to [Bulgaria's post-communist] transition. We want a new perspective for Bulgaria," he stated.

According to the PES leader, the result from the government term of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov will be "fear, poverty, destroyed business, 80 lobbyist and corruption-inspired laws and thousands of wrong decisions for the nation."

In his words, the next government of Bulgaria needs to restore the "normal, responsible, and accountable statehood in a dialogue with the NGO sector and the regular citizens in order to create market economy competition and attract investments."

Stanishev believes that the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which lost to GERB in 2009 by 17% to 40% of the votes, will be able to overcome Borisov's party in the 2013 vote.

The National Council of the BSP decided Saturday that its next National Congress will take place on February 16, 2013.