Published by Wikileaks & Bivol.bg
id: 27394 date: 2/21/2005 16:42 refid: 05SOFIA333 origin: Embassy Sofia classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY destination: 05SOFIA288 header: This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. ----------------- header ends ---------------- UNCLAS SOFIA 000333 SIPDIS SENSITIVE S/ES PLEASE REPEAT SECTO USNATO PLEASE PASS TO SECRETARY'S PARTY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ETRD, BU, NATO SUBJECT: BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER RESHUFFLES CABINET ON EVE OF NATO SUMMIT REF: SOFIA 0288 1. (SBU) Summary. As he departed for Brussels on February 21, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha sacked three cabinet ministers, including his influential Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Lydia Shuleva. Shuleva's departure was expected in the wake of last week's confidence vote, which the government survived after cutting a deal with the break-away New Time party (reftel). New Time reportedly demanded Shuleva's ouster and at least one cabinet position; it got both. Energy Minister Kovachev will take Shuleva's place as head of the Economy Ministry, and New Time leader Miro Sevlievski will get the Energy Ministry. The cabinet reshuffle is part of a pre-election domestic political drama; we see no significant implications for Bulgarian foreign or security policy. End summary. 2. (SBU) In addition to Shuleva, the PM also fired the very unpopular Minister of Culture, Bozhidar Abrashev, and the Minister of Agriculture, Mehmed Dikme. Abrashev had been vying with Regional Development Minister Tserovski for the unofficial title of the cabinet's worst minister, and he will not be missed domestically or internationally. Dikme's record was also mixed, but his greatest sin appears to have been his refusal to tow the line of his patron, the leader of the mostly ethnic-Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). Nihat Kabil, an MRF member who was formerly Dikme's deputy and will now be the new agriculture minister, is reportedly less likely to question the policies of the government's junior coalition partner. Nina Chilova, a releative non- entity, will head the Ministry of Culture, which also takes over the tourism portfolio from the Ministry of Economy. As consolation for losing her cabinet position, Shuleva will head the ruling party's reelection campaign. All cabinet changes must be approved by parliament, where they government now has a comfortable majority. 3. (SBU) Comment. This cabinet reshuffle is a quidpro quo for New Time's decision to support the gvernment in last week's vote of confidence. We ee no substantive changes in Bulgarian foreign policy -- and certainly none with regard to Iraq --as a result of this reshuffling of personnel. T the extend there is an impact on U.S. interests it comes from the loss of Shuleva, one of the mst forceful members of the cabinet. Shuleva, howver, has not always been easy to work with, so i is unclear whether her departure will be a plus or a minus for U.S. interests. The main issues on which we deal with the Ministry of Economy are trade policy, protection of intellectual property, and arms export controls.
