A political majority in this Metropolitan Municipal Council will not be able to be formed. Apparently we are going on a rotating principle of presidency, floating majorities. That is why, together with Carlos Contrera, we are initiating a series of talks with colleagues from the SOS to seek a way out of the crisis.”
With these words, municipal councilor from KOD Vili Lilkov announced to BNT that he is taking the initiative to finally be elected chairman of the Metropolitan Municipal Council. This initiative came after 5 failed attempts by the municipal council to elect a chairman, effectively blocking his work. Lilkov’s name was mentioned by analysts as an option for a compromise head of SOS, after it became clear that neither Boris Bonev from “Save Sofia” nor the candidates of BSP and “Vazrazhdane” are eligible.
“The goal is to start talks together in order to find a way out of the crisis. If the big ones can’t, we suggest to the small ones that we look for a solution,” Lilkov specified.
Until that moment, GERB had refused invitations to meetings with PP-DB, as well as to Mayor Vasil Terziev, but Anton Hekimyan stated that the group would attend the talks for the head of SOS organized by Lilkov.
“We expect to hear from them what their idea is for solving the problems of the SOS, but we remain a firm opposition. We will find out at the meeting from the other groups that will also go, whether they are looking for compromise figures for the election of the chairman,” Hekimyan also said .
BSP, however, refused to participate in the meeting organized by Vili Lilkov and Contrera. According to the representatives of the left in SOS, the purpose of the meeting is “to prepare the meeting between PP-DB and GERB-SDS in Sofia municipality”.
“During the last forty days, the group of MK “BSP for Bulgaria”, the only one in SOS, showed responsibility and reason by participating in the negotiations initiated by the first political force PP-DB-SS, constructively, professionally and with concrete solutions for the future of the city us, it is written in the position of the municipal councilors from the group of socialists. – At the two meetings, we argued in detail our proposals on the important policies and highlighted the main priorities for the work of the SOS, for some of which we also submitted our reports. From the first day, we stated that reason and dialogicity should be leading in the politically complex municipal council. We need working solutions that can be implemented by a stable majority, formed on the basis of common principles and policies, in the interest of the citizens of Sofia, but also taking into account the “red lines”, which the voters placed on each of the political formations.”
In their position, the advisers from the MK group “BSP for Bulgaria” note that unfortunately, these meetings did not produce the expected result. “And our firmly stated position to preserve the cultural and historical heritage was rudely trampled on by the rulers of the state, whose representation is the most numerous in the Capital Municipality, they write. – We all bear a political responsibility to our voters for fulfilling the promises made in our pre-election campaigns programs. Management cannot be an indulgence for trampling on them. That is why we terminated the negotiations with the PP-DB-SS after the illegal and barbaric destruction of the Monument to the Soviet Army. It is clear to us, and to most Sofians, that the leading issue in recent weeks has been not the desire to overcome the crisis in the SOS, not the well-being of the city, but the hardening of the Assembly and its transfer to the management of Sofia. The two largest groups – PP-DB and GERB-SDS – are obviously preparing the reproduction of the non-coalition in the Capital Municipality” .
Municipal councilors from the group of socialists in SOS believe that the meeting organized by municipal councilors Willy Lilkov and Carlos Contrera on December 28, 2023, Thursday, aims for exactly that.
“And we will continue to work constructively, sensibly and responsibly for the city and for the people in it”, they are categorical in their position.
However, this does not change the fact that from November until now, the work of the Metropolitan Municipal Council has been blocked, since the councilors cannot elect a chairman. Until January 11 – for now, the first meeting of the new Metropolitan Municipal Council will continue. Then its members will make a sixth attempt to elect a president, after the expected fifth failed. As long as there is no election of a chief, the SOS is conducted in the first session. It was convened on November 13, when the mayor and councilors were sworn in, and in reality it could not work. Thus, the blockade will last for two months, and the deadline to choose a chief, in order to avoid new elections, is the middle of February.
Another failure came despite the decision of Boris Bonev from the PP-DB-SS not to run for the post and to temporarily elect the oldest mayor – Greti Stefanova – as chairman. The idea was for her to lead the SOS until the adoption of Sofia’s budget, which should happen towards the end of February. During this time, talks about a governing majority would continue. Bonev recalled that in a similar way in the 48th National Assembly, the oldest deputy – Vezhdi Rashidov was elected as chairman. The election of the doyen then came again because of a block to form a majority.
The other candidacy for head of SOS was Plamen Danailov from ITN. However, both of them did not collect the required 31 out of a total of 61 votes. Three groups of councilors boycotted the vote – BSP, Vazrazhdane, and GERB.
“We have to pay BGN 70 million for European projects and zero BGN in the account for this. Am I responsible for the financial planning? I propose a solution. Let’s solve this problem, and then you can blame me for the budget because you did not understand each other are you left-wing, are you right-wing, or centre-forwards”, addressed the mayor Vasil Terziev to the municipal councilors at the time.
The only real possibility so far was an agreement between Boris Bonev and BSP, but a day later the dismantling of the Monument to the Soviet Army began and it failed.
2023-12-27 12:48:00
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