People pay more for petrol and diesel than they did when GERB was in power, and the rise is not justified, GERB leader Boyko Borisov said. He compared prices in 2020 with those under the cabinet of Rumen Radev.

Petrol now costs €1.94 and diesel €2.19, or €2.15 (4.20 leva) at the old exchange rate, Borisov said. In 2020 diesel cost €0.92 (1.80 leva). He called on people to compare the prices themselves and said there is no reason for prices to rise in Bulgaria.

Borisov said his government also faced crises, such as Covid and the Greek crisis, but in his view today's conditions do not justify higher prices. He said the Strait of Hormuz does not affect Bulgaria. The refinery is state-owned and the oil comes from Azerbaijan and other countries, so he asked why diesel has to be exported.

Borisov also criticised the contract with Turkey's Botas, which he said was hidden and then frozen for several months. Bulgaria owes hundreds of millions of dollars under it, and he asked whether the money would be paid in one lump sum afterwards. There is money for Botas, he said, but people are facing a higher gas price. Gas is going up by 34%, and he expects electricity to rise sharply too.

Borisov said Radev's cabinet is preparing a fraud with the finances to justify such a large budget. The deficit in August was just over 2%, and it cannot reach 5.7% by November, he said. A deficit of 3% is now treated as normal, but it is not, and the state should aim for a surplus, he added.

Borisov said those in power are "the kings of excuses", because someone else is always to blame, while the figures show they inherited good finances. He said Asen Vasilev, one of the opposition leaders, admits this too.

Borisov said he is glad he can cheer up Radev, since his government cannot, and he summed up the subject as "Humour, satire and fun".

He congratulated the cabinet on telling Brussels clearly where the drones that hit ships in the Black Sea came from.