site.btaBSP-United Left MP Petkov Urges Party to Leave Government over Role of Movement for Rights and Freedom Chair Peevski

BSP-United Left MP Ivan Petkov said on Wednesday his party should leave the government because of MRF Chair and MRF–New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski’s role in it. Petkov said he was waiting for the party’s leadership bodies to convene and argued that this needed careful consideration, as protests against the government would continue.

He warned of an economic problem if there was no budget for next year. “We need to sit down and reach an understanding, because it is wrong to enter the euro area without a budget,” Petkov said. He added that the BSP leadership did not share his view on quitting the government.

On Tuesday evening on Facebook, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said he would no longer comply and silently accept “all kinds of unreasonable demands” for an indisputably poorly structured budget. "Either stand with GERB and we will work together with a majority of 121 MPs to draw up a new budget, or we will hold elections," Borissov said.

Opposition parties and President Rumen Radev have repeatedly alleged that Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s cabinet depends on and is influenced by MRF–New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski, with Alliance for Rights and Freedoms MP Hassan Ademov saying the government “survives solely on the support of Delyan Peevski and Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning”, Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov arguing that it “now fully depends” on him, and Vazrazhdane warning that Bulgaria is once again governed by “a cabinet of Delyan Peevski and Boyko Borissov”.

Peevski, who has been designated for alleged corruption by the US under the Global Magnitsky Act and by the UK, rejects the accusations and says MRF–New Beginning is not part of the government but gives it “full support” and backs the budget “as long as it works for the people”, stressing that the cabinet “survives thanks to me, for the people” and that his party will support it only in “doing good things” and not in “anything that works for the oligarchy”.