Kovatchev says steps taken by Bulgaria’s caretaker government are questionable

Andrey Kovatchev MEP, Chair of the Bulgarian delegation in the European People's Party spoke to EU Reporter about a letter the delegation has sent to all MEPs. The letter claims that the caretaker government, which is responsible for organising elections for 11 July is acting in a way that puts their neutrality into question. 

GERB - the EPP’s affiliated party in Bulgaria, led by Boyko Borissov has been damaged by recent allegations that opposition politicians had their phones wiretapped. Kovatchev says that if there is evidence behind these allegations, then people should be punished, however he adds that if there isn’t evidence the allegations amount to disinformation ahead of the election.

The main subject of the letter concerns the Minister of Internal Affairs Bojko Rashkov and remarks he made in a recent interview referring to politicians as ‘former people’ - a phrase that dates back to Bulgaria’s Communist past, when people who were opponents of the government were described in this way. 

In a very serious allegation the MEPs also state that the minister’s chief of staff is in some way linked to gambling oligarch Vasil Bozhkov, known as ‘the Skull’ – a gambling oligarch, who’s currently in hiding in Dubai, after 19 charges were filed against him in Bulgaria. Bozhkov intends to participate in forthcoming elections. 

The European Parliament has raised the issue of the rule of law in Bulgaria in 2019. EU Reporter interviewed members of the ‘Brussels for Bulgaria’ demonstrators in October 2019 who were calling for new elections and reforms to end corruption. 

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