site.btaUPDATED Boyko Borissov Re-elected GERB Leader at Party's National Meeting

The 7th National Meeting of GERB on Sunday unanimously re-elected Boyko Borissov leader of the formerly ruling and now opposition party for a new four-year term. His nomination was approved by 943 votes.

Borissov was informal leader of the party since its establishment on December 3, 2006 and has been its official chairperson since January 10, 2010.

GERB must form a shadow cabinet with teams that should draw up an anti-crisis programme for Bulgaria's governance and be ready to propose governance solutions at any time," European People's Party (EPP) Secretary General Antonio Lopez-Isturiz said in a special video message to the National Meeting delegates. GERB has been an EPP member party since 2008. 

Lopez called on GERB to restore political and inter-institutional dialogue, to create conditions for citizens' economic and social security, to stand up for Bulgaria's geopolitical orientation as EU and NATO member. The EPP Secretary General noted that at present Bulgaria is ruled by a "coalition of hate", "chaotically, without a vision and a direction for either voters or citizens."

He praised the Borissov governments for keeping Bulgaria financially stable and ranking it among the countries with the lowest debt and for large-scale investments in road, rail and environmental infrastructure.   

An Executive Commission report, read at the National Meeting, said that GERB already has more than 98,000 members and has won five successive parliamentary elections and four European Parliament elections. It has chapters in all 265 municipalities countrywide and is tolerant to all ethnic and religious groups, the report said.

The National Meeting adopted a policy declaration saying that, at a time of political, economic, social, health and geopolitical challenges, Bulgaria is run by a government and ruling majority which do not have a programme, a human resource capacity and adequate goals. "At a fateful historical moment like this one, Bulgaria's governance is entrusted to a coalition of fortune seekers, populists, Socialists and pseudo-democrats, whose only unifying factor is their hate for GERB," the declaration reads. "As a result of this governance construct, the Government is not in a position to tackle any of the current crises in Bulgarian society but, worse yet, it complicates and deepens them."

Under the document, a standing National Campaign Headquarters will be set up by the Executive Commission to present shortly a strategy for participation in early elections.