'He Keeps Flying': GERB Leader Criticizes Bulgaria's President Amid Israel Evacuation

Politics | June 18, 2025, Wednesday // 13:23
Bulgaria: 'He Keeps Flying': GERB Leader Criticizes Bulgaria's President Amid Israel Evacuation

GERB leader Boyko Borissov once again directed criticism at President Rumen Radev, this time over his international travel and the recent evacuation of Bulgarian citizens from Israel. Speaking in the halls of parliament, Borissov took a jab at Radev's frequent trips abroad, sarcastically remarking that the president “keeps flying” and that “he can’t land.

Referring to the return of Bulgarian citizens from Israel, Borissov underlined that the evacuation was carried out using a civilian aircraft, not a state-operated one. He used the moment to contrast what he described as the practical actions of the government with the symbolic and costly nature of Radev’s international engagements.

Borissov also touched on the energy agreement with Turkish company Botas, pointing out that the deal costs Bulgaria 1,050,000 leva per day. According to him, even higher sums are involved when the country actually transports gas through the deal, which was negotiated as part of Radev’s international efforts. His tone implied skepticism about the actual benefit of such agreements for Bulgaria.

The GERB leader’s comments came hours after the return of 89 Bulgarians and 59 foreign nationals from Israel. Interior Minister Georgi Georgiev stated that Bulgaria had arranged a charter flight to ensure their safe return, a detail that Borissov used to contrast the president’s role with the executive branch's direct actions.

Borissov also responded to criticism from "We Continue the Change" co-leader Kiril Petkov, who had accused GERB and the DPS-New Beginning party of attempting to orchestrate the appointment of Anton Slavchev as the next head of the Anti-Corruption Commission. Petkov had claimed that this was why the necessary rules for appointing the commission were not being placed on parliament’s agenda.

In response, Borissov deflected the accusation and reminded that the Petkov-led government had failed to adopt a Recovery and Resilience Plan for four years. He further pointed out that during their time in office, the only person proposed by "We Continue the Change" for the anti-corruption post was Boyko Rashkov. As for Petkov's allegations, Borissov dismissed them outright, saying, “What Kiril Petkov says is the last thing I care about.

On another front, Borissov weighed in on the proposal to amend the parliamentary rulebook to prevent two separate parliamentary groups from using the same abbreviation (DPS-New Beginning/Peevski and DPS-Dogan). The change, proposed by the Speaker of the National Assembly, would specifically target the group of MPs close to Ahmed Dogan and prevent them from using the abbreviation DPS, traditionally associated with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

According to Borissov, parties should use only the names or abbreviations they were officially registered under during elections. “As they appeared in the elections, so they should be registered. As we are registered,” he said, pointing to GERB-SDS as an example.

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Tags: Radev, Bulgaria, Borissov

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