site.btaMECh Leader: Civil Society Toppled the Government

Civil society toppled the government, MECh party leader Radostin Vasilev said on Thursday, commenting on the government’s resignation announced earlier in the day. “All leaders of parties claiming to be in opposition must tell the people that the government was not brought down by the opposition; it was brought down by civil society, by the thousands of citizens who took to the streets across Bulgaria. They must be given due credit, because they actually did what we on the inside could not,” Vasilev said at a briefing with journalists.

He noted: “We received the decision of Zhelyazkov’s government and the ruling parties to resign with some surprise, but it was not really unexpected, because they could not ignore the voice of the streets.” Vasilev added that MECh views the wording of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s cabinet resignation statement as a provocation against the citizens and revenge for their protests. According to Vasilev, Zhelyazkov’s claim that opposition leaders are now responsible for the state of the nation, for socio-economic tensions after New Year's Eve, and for the country’s instability due to the lack of a budget, are not words that should come from a prime minister.

“It is interesting that this majority will most likely attempt to pass a budget by the end of the year,” the MECh leader further commented.

In the current National Assembly, he sees no possibility of reformulating the governing majority. If it were done with a mandate from GERB, it would represent a very serious betrayal of the expectations of the protests, the MP said. According to him, people expect elections that will produce a majority which, at the very least, keeps MPs Delyan Peevski and Boyko Borissov out of government, and even better, if possible, changes some of the state’s non-functioning systems and holds those responsible accountable.

MECh insists on holding elections as soon as possible, with amendments to the Electoral Code and the introduction of fully machine-based voting beforehand. The parliamentary group intends to submit such amendments next week.

MECh is adamant that it will not participate in a government with Peevski and Borissov under any circumstances.

“Expect surprises. Now is the moment for Rumen Radev [the President of Bulgaria] to step onto the field; we are expecting him there,” Vasilev added. He noted: “Anyone who is against Peevski and Borissov and is active on the political scene can be a coalition partner of MECh, subject to certain guarantees.”