The candidate of “There Is Such a People” Lubomir Karimanski was not elected head of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB). 59 voted in favor, 36 against, 140 abstained.

Karimanski was supported by GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms during the debate.

Before the vote, the head of GERB's parliamentary group, Desislava Atanasova, called on the ruling party to apologize to Andrei Gyurov, who was a candidate but withdrew, and to apologize to Karimanski as well. She pointed out that the attitude towards them was not correct.

“You literally poured slop,” Atanasova said in relation to the attitude towards Karimanski.

Tsoncho Ganev (Vazrazhdane) said the party would not support Karimanski because he opposed Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone.

Toma Bikov (GERB) said that a non-political figure should have been proposed for this non-political position, which should receive a consensus majority. However, this did not happen. Bikov said GERB would not have supported Andrei Gyurov because he was a candidate from “We Continue the Change”.

Bikov said that a new procedure would also fail because the government is failing. However, GERB could not leave the entire financial regulation to “a man like Asen Vassilev”.

“My personal opinion is that in order to keep the balance, I would support Mr Karimanski,” Bikov said.

Georgi Svilenski (BSP) said that if GERB supports Karimanski, it should say at what price.

“You will support the candidate of the parliamentary group that called you Jipko Bibitko,” he said.

Alexander Nenkov (GERB) answered him:

“At what price did you sell yourself?”

Toshko Yordanov (There Is Such a People) said that the ruling coalition had entered the situation on its own and that no one in the opposition was to blame. According to him, Svilenski speaks “nonsense”.

“Hints of a deal between 'There Is Such a People' and an opposition party are baseless and false,” Yordanov said.

He asked on what grounds BSP would not support Karimanski.

“Knowing my big mouth, I will not only be fined, but it could get worse,” Yordanov said.

Svilenski told him that the Bulgarian Socialist Party did not support Karimanski because of the coalition agreement, according to which there should have been a unified candidacy of the ruling party. He said he did not make a suggestion and did not want to ruin a good relationship.

“Why will GERB support the candidate of the ruling coalition? I have asked a single question,” Svilenski said.

Yordan Tsonev (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) said the debate had been going on for half a year.

“In two parliaments, part of the majority elects Karimanski as head of the budget committee. Asen Vassilev has full confidence in Karimanski,” Tsonev said.

According to him, it is not true that the BNB governor should only be a professional. According to him, however, his powers are not great.

Tsonev pointed out that the entry into the Eurozone will not be decided by the BNB governor, but by the parliament.

“The reason is the dependence of the prime minister and deputy prime minister on Ivo Prokopiev.”

This is how Tsonev explained the position of "We Continue the Change" against Karimanski. According to him, the BNB is very important for Prokopiev, “to get a license from the Macedonian bank to get the banks going.”

“That’s why there is such hype, to hurt the state,” Tsonev said.

He recalled that the current governor was also elected by GERB and the Movement.

“Let's choose a governor. Mr. Karimanski is a worthy person. Let’s stop serving the oligarchs,” Tsonev said.

Follow Novinite.com on Twitter and Facebook

Write to us at editors@novinite.com

Информирайте се на Български - Novinite.bg

/ClubZ

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!