THE LEADER of Bulgaria’s centre-right Gerb party pledged to cut spending and curb crime and corruption yesterday after crushing the ruling Socialists in a landslide election victory.
Boyko Borisov, a burly ex-bodyguard who formed Gerb after becoming mayor of Sofia, is expected to join forces with a smaller conservative party to secure a strong majority in parliament, creating a coalition which he claims will clean up graft-riddled Bulgaria.
“Those who have stolen should be very afraid...The thieves will go to jail,” said Mr Borisov, a former fireman and karate expert whom Bulgarians have nicknamed “Batman” for his professed determination to crack down on crime.
“We have to form a government as soon as possible,” he said, adding that “updating the budget was the first thing” his government would do. “Taking into account the inheritance we get, I can’t promise miracles in the next five or six months.”
Bulgaria has slid into recession after a decade of strong growth and unemployment is rising. The economy is expected to shrink by 2 per cent, and foreign investment is expected to halve this year.
Gerb officials said before the election that they may seek an International Monetary Fund loan to offset the impact of the crisis.
Mr Borisov also said he “hoped to restore the European Union’s trust in Bulgaria and unblock the millions of aid for farming and infrastructure” after substantial funding was frozen last year by Brussels over concerns about the country’s corruption woes.
The election itself was marred by allegations of vote-buying against almost every party, and international observers called for closer monitoring of future Bulgarian ballots.
Gerb claimed 116 seats in the 240-seat parliament, well ahead of the second-placed Socialists with 40 seats. Gerb is expected to form a ruling alliance with the rightist Blue Coalition, led by former premier Ivan Kostov, which secured 15 seats.
