2 versions of the maneuvers with pensions and salaries – insurance if the 47th parliament is barren, or a wedge is driven into the future coalition on social policy
Leak of information about the rotating presidency of the parliament strained Ninova and again shuffled posts and departments
Tblond in the expected coalition at any moment, before the quartet shook hands on the structure and composition of the future government – this unexpected result was caused by the draft budget for 2022 announced by the Cabinet.
Surprisingly, on Wednesday afternoon, caretaker Finance Minister Valeri Belchev announced that the cabinet would adopt its budget version by December 17th, but without reforms. He also announced social measures – raising the minimum wage to BGN 710, increasing the child allowance by 20% and keeping the bonus for pensioners (initially BGN 120, but in the evening it was corrected that it would be BGN 60).
However, all these measures contradict the agreements of the future quadruple coalition and some of the partners
began to suspect former caretaker ministers Kiril Petkov and Asen Vassilev of using the government
and President Rumen Radev to change the upcoming coalition agreement.
Minutes after Belchev announced his intentions, Petkov’s and Vassilev’s phones began ringing on the fire with requests for explanations.
However, the two managed to convince their partners that they had nothing in common.
Then calls began to Prime Minister Stefan Yanev and Deputy Prime Minister Galab Donev asking why they were trying to twist the hands of the future government.
The two tried to explain to the representatives of “We continue the change”, BSP, “There is such a people” and “Democratic Bulgaria” that
there is no decision of the cabinet, and Belchev was wrong
Subsequently, however, the Ministry of Finance issued only a clarification on the amount of the bonus for retirees. And in an interview on Thursday, Minister Belchev not only did not give a sign that he was wrong, but on the contrary – presented details of the budget prepared by him.
Debt of BGN 12 billion, deficit below 3%, raising the salaries of officials by 5%, he said. While the future coalition wants to reduce the costs of the administration by 10%.
In an interview with “24 Chasa”, the social expert of “There is such a people” Mika Zaykova described the act of the official cabinet as dishonest.
Like
exceptional strange move
determined the announcement of the budget and the deputy from DB Georgi Ganev.
It is strange for the economist that the caretaker Minister of Finance announces a budget framework, but without talking about macroeconomic indicators such as revenues and expenditures and inflation. There is no medium-term forecast, and at the same time parameters such as pensions and the minimum wage are announced.
“Usually the finance minister first announces the bill and then starts talking. Now he puts the cart in front of the horse “, Ganev added. According to him, the caretaker government is
bidding began
who will offer more generous promises in the social sphere.
“We continue the change” identified the budget proposed by Belchev as a problem. We have an agreement with 43 points and budget principles, reminded Andrey Gyurov from the formation of Petkov & Vassilev.
Valeri Belchev himself explained on Wednesday – when he was surprised for the first time with his intentions for pensions and salaries – that revenues and expenditures in his budget version will be calculated by Friday – the day the new National Assembly convenes. This is an unusual practice because first the state plans what revenues are planned, and only then the priority items of expenditures are sought and spending targets are set, explained officials from the Ministry of Finance, who regularly participate in the preparation of budgets.
But after Belchev confirmed yesterday the intentions of the caretaker government to make the state’s accounts for next year, the party squad already suspects that President Rumen Radev is trying to drive a wedge into the coalition. Or at least press her against the wall with generous social promises. Such a reaction is attributed to the fact that with the negotiators approaching the signing of a coalition agreement, he
loses its influence over the country’s governance
This could also explain why Prime Minister Stefan Yanev was visibly gloomy on Wednesday morning – because the order had to be fulfilled.
Indeed, at the beginning of the government session the other day, Yanev did not deliver his traditional five-minute speech, but briefly announced: “If necessary, there will be statements.”
Statements of ministers were indeed organized – first by the transport Hristo Alexiev, and at 12.30 a meeting was scheduled by Valeri Belchev. However, the finance minister was delayed by nearly 15 minutes. According to some suspicious coalition partners, he was waiting for the end of President Radev and Deputy Prime Minister Galab Donev’s participation in an international conference in Sofia so that reporters present could not ask them questions about generous social promises.
The goal of the government is really to show that a social budget can be made, a member of the caretaker cabinet confirmed to “24 Chasa”.
However, the official version of the cabinet is that the draft budget is insurance and no one can oblige the parties to accept it. But there will be a draft ready for adoption if the possibility of a governing coalition in the 47th National Assembly dries up and new early elections are held in the spring.
Valeri Belchev also described the preparation of a budget, alternative to the requests of the eventual governing coalition, as a responsibility for the state.
“Yes, in January it can be spent with 1/12 of the budget for 2021, but
what do we do if it turns out that this is how the state should move by May next year “,
asked his fellow minister. He cited, on the other hand, tensions in the negotiations, referring to the leak of information about the new structure of the Council of Ministers and the rotation of parliamentary heads, which apparently angered BSP leader Cornelia Ninova.
A version of an agreement on the structure of the future government was received in a number of media outlets late Wednesday night. It provided for only one deputy prime minister in the cabinet, EU funds to be transferred to the finance minister, the Ministry of Agriculture to remove forests and oversee agricultural funds, and the Road Infrastructure Agency to move from regional development to transport. The agreement also provided for the innovation that the Speaker of the National Assembly be replaced every year, with Ninova taking the first post.
According to some sites, the information leaked from an internal email of the DSB (part of Democratic Bulgaria) to its structures, calling for the agreement to be approved by Friday, December 3, so that its implementation can be launched.
However, Ninova surprisingly denied all the details leaked to the media on Thursday afternoon.
According to another version of the budgetary maneuvers of the official power, it was Ninova who provoked them – on “Dondukov” 2 were
irritated by the overly generous promises to the BSP that are being heard about
from the negotiating teams. The social leader actually declared war on President Radev before the runoff. And now she was on her way to get a large share of the new government and leverage to stop some of the bold intentions of Petkov, Vassilev and company, whose success as a patron of change would share Rumen Radev.
– .
