The papers today continue to play out possible scenarios for a government after the parliamentary elections on Sunday.

“GERB forms a minority cabinet,” reads a headline carried by Trud. The newspaper writes that the opinion is prevalent in Boyko Borissov’s party that a coalition is not worth taking the risk, as it would only be a liability, as was the case with the previous GERB government. However, Trud makes the prediction that unofficial talks with the United Patriots are, nonetheless expected to begin. GERB and the coalition of Krasimir Karakachanov, Valery Simeonov and Volen Siderov have a total of 122 MPs in the new parliament. Trud notes that implanting the “German model” – an alliance with the socialists - is seen inside GERB as unacceptable at this stage.

“GERB and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) got an impossible offer for an alliance,” reads a headline carried by Sega. The paper highlights the proposal by Valery Simeonov for a grand coalition between the BSP, GERB and the United Patriots, of which he is co-chairman. Sega goes back to Valery Simeonov’s thesis that this would result in a working parliament for four years and a stable government against the background of the volatile situation in the Balkans and in Europe. He even suggested that GERB and BSP leaders Boyko Borissov and Kornelia Ninova put aside their egos and refuse the post of prime minister, so as to give the alliance a chance. Valery Simeonov’s proposal got a cool reception with both leading parties, Sega comments.

Standart quotesProf. Ivo Hristov, elected as BSP MP as saying: “A grand GERB-BSP coalition would be the end of the BSP, which lays claim to being a party of ideas, whereas GERB has no ideology and to them, that matters not at all.” In his words, the BSP lost not because it had gone too far to the left, but because it should have done. Standart highlights the words of VMRO leader Krasimir Karakachanov that if agreement on a coalition is not reached and a joint programme has to be drawn up, then it only makes sense that the United Patriots must have their own cabinet ministers.

Compiled by Atanas Tsenov

English version: Milena Daynova