Former PM Ivan Kostov (pictured) warned against the ousting of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, who has recently come under severe criticism over the austerity measures that he adopted to help the country crawl out of the recession. Photo by BGNES
Ivan Kostov, Bulgaria's former prime minister and leader of a small conservative party, considered an ally of the country's minority center-right government, has called for the resignations of two ministers.
"Social Minister Totyu Mladenov is a real disaster. The other minister, who should quit because of lack of efficiency, is Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov," Kostov said in an interview for the morning broadcast of Nova TV channel.
The former prime minister warned against the ousting of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, who has recently come under severe criticism over the austerity measures that he adopted to help the country crawl out of the recession.
According to Kostov, whose government is credited with throwing out the ex-communists who had pushed the country to the brink of financial crisis in the 90s, Djankov's replacement could plunge the country into a political crisis.
"There is no crisis in the government, but many mistakes have been made and that's why at least two ministers should leave office. Lots of time is being wasted and the political dialogue has been moved outside the parliament, where it belongs."
The center-right government of Boyko Borisov's party GERB has 117 of a total of 240 seats in the unicameral chamber and governs with the support of Ataka, a fervently nationalist group, and the conservative Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) of former premier Ivan Kostov.
Both of the latter parties have no ministers, but have slim chances of success in case of early elections.
DSB repeatedly criticised Boyko Borisov for lack of expertise and accused him of dodging painful reforms.