site.btaReactions to Fourth Unsuccessful No-Confidence Vote against Zhelyazkov Cabinet

The National Assembly has rejected the fourth no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's cabinet on Thursday. The vote, brought over failure in the environmental and water management sector, was defeated with 83 votes in favor and 131 against.

The government was supported by GERB-UDF (64 votes), MRF - New Beginning (29), BSP - United Left (19), There Is Such a People (15) and 4 unaffiliated. The votes against the government came from Vazrazhdane (32 votes), Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (14), MECh (10) and Velichie (10), as well as Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB). Of the CC-DB coalition, CC have declared beforehand that they were going to back the no-confidence motion while DB said they would not vote save for one leader's voice against the Cabinet. That produced a total of 17 votes from CC-DB (out of a total of 36 MPs in this group) in favour of the no-confidence motion.

Here are the political reactions to the unsuccessful vote:

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said he never approaches a vote with political arrogance and thinks every vote should be taken seriously, by any government. The Prime Minister said that this instrument of parliamentary scrutiny was sometimes devalued, but political ad hoc decisions such as that of Continue the Change were not surprising. Zhelyazkov pointed out that the surprise for him was the vote of Democratic Bulgaria (DB) Co-Chair Bozhidar Bozhanov. Earlier in the day, Bozhanov said that DB will not participate in the vote but one of the coalition's leaders will support the motion to reflect the shared position of the entire Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria parliamentary group.

Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov pointed out that the large number of no-confidence motions leads to the loss of value and weight of this political instrument. “Votes of no confidence are the strongest weapon in the hands of the opposition and they should be used to show the government what needs to be changed or that there is another alternative to this government,” Gutsanov added. “Let these votes be used in a way that will be useful and not political talk,” he urged.

Environment Minister Manol Genov called it “a senseless vote” and “wasted time for the Bulgarian Parliament". "I can list several laws that are waiting to be passed by MPs,” he said. Regarding Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning deciding to support the Government, Genov commented that this gives the Cabined more ambition to work a lot more and to implement its programme.

GERB-UDF Floor Leader Boyko Borissov argued that the vote proved Continue the Change, Vazrazhdane, and the pro-Russian parties are aligned. He praised it as "very successful", added that “another lie has been unmasked” and that these types of votes can continue “for as long as they like.”

Continue the Change Chair Assen Vassilev said that Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) will work for a vote of no confidence in September. "The topics will be discussed first at our National Council, as proposals, then within the parliamentary group, so that it is common on the policies that this Government is pursuing as a punitive action against the Bulgarian people," the CC Chair said. He added that Continue the Change voted in favour of Friday's vote of no confidence because they consider this government to be harmful to Bulgaria.

Vazrazhdane MP Tsoncho Ganev said that the party is currently holding talks with other opposition parties for a new no-confidence motion. “I hope it will be submitted very soon,” he told reporters in Parliament. Asked what the topic of the vote would be, Ganev said it was to be consulted among the parties that wanted to participate in it. "What happened today is a consequence of the fact that people and parties that declare themselves as opposition did not vote," he added.

Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski described Friday's unsuccessful vote of no confidence against the Rosen Zhelyazkov's Cabinet as "another failed vote by the pro-Russian parties". "In my view, it is time they found something else to do. They are useless in Parliament, bring nothing to their voters, and they cannot fulfill Moscow’s agenda - nor will they ever be able to," Peevski added.

Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) Floor Leader Kiril Veselinski said Friday that the party will submit another vote of no confidence against the Rosen Zhelyazkov Cabinet. The vote will be on internal order and security. He said Friday's no-confidence motion was expectedly unsuccessful. Velichie's motives were not prepared well, but it is a fact that it achieved a result that is getting closer and closer to bringing down the Cabinet of [GERB-UDF Floor Leader Boyko] Borissov and [Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan] Peevski, Veselinski said.

Velichie Floor Leader Ivelin Mihaylov described Friday's unsuccessful vote of no confidence against the Rosen Zhelyazkov Cabinet as "the most successful one, because six parties supported it." Mihaylov said that the result of the vote was determined by “the bought and manipulated votes from the [parliamentary] elections”. He said that the new vote of no confidence that Velichie is preparing will be about illegal construction, pointing out that nearly a million people live “in feudal dependence”.