Former Finance Minister and GERB-SDF representative Vladislav Goranov commented on “Since the Day“ the topic of the budget deficit, the state of state finances, the role of President Rumen Radev and the political consequences of the crisis in recent years.
He stated that the accumulated problems in the fiscal framework are the result of a series of decisions made since 2021.
“The problem began when the current prime minister legitimized as service ministers people who were learning on the back of the state how to manage finances. Assen Vassilev admitted with the understanding that through spending, deficit and debt the state can become richer. In fact, I have no professional disputes with him, but the fact is that the decisions that led to the current state of the fiscal system were made precisely then.“
According to him, responsibility for the accumulated deficits cannot be sought only in one administration.
„When we talk about the last five years and the political crisis that led to this state of the fiscal system, there are no innocents. All laws from 2021 related to changes in the pension model and additional commitments to the budget were unreservedly supported by the president – without a single veto.“
Goranov emphasized that GERB is ready to support unpopular but necessary financial measures.
„Today there is a stable government with enormous parliamentary support – 131 deputies. If necessary, we will add our 39 votes. If they have the courage to propose measures that can put the fiscal framework back in order, we are ready to support them, no matter how unpopular these decisions will be.“
He also commented on the topic of Bulgaria's accession to the eurozone, defending the government of the “Zhelyazkov“ cabinet.
“With these fiscal indicators, we managed to meet the requirements of the European Commission and the European Central Bank for entering the eurozone. The assessment of whether Bulgaria meets the criteria was made based on the results for 2024.“
Goranov admitted that there are serious imbalances in the budget, but emphasized that they did not arise in one year.
“When at the beginning of 2025 we were faced with the task of compiling the budget, we saw the accumulated imbalances very clearly – the non-systemic increases in pensions, the disproportionate increases in salaries in the administration, the commitments to the security structures.“
In the interview, Goranov also commented on the topic of illegal construction near Varna, denying that GERB or Boyko Borisov had anything to do with the case.
„If it is true that the documents used are not genuine, then we are talking about fake certificates. From then on, the question „where is Boyko Borisov“ has no connection with the case. However, we have three years in which the current mayor also claims that he did not know what was happening.“
Regarding the future presidential elections, Vladislav Goranov stated that the right has no chance without a common candidate.
„If the right does not unite around a common candidate, it will not win the presidential elections. But this should not be done with one-sided announcements like “this is the candidate and there is no other“. If there is no common candidacy of the right, it will lose.“
Watch the entire conversation in the video
Source: bntnews.bg