site.btaUPDATED MECh Presents Reasons for Motion, Loses Floor for Exceeding Time Slot

Presenting the reasons for moving for a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet, MECh leader Radostin Vasilev said that it has shown consistent reluctance to combat corruption. Vasilev was the first to speak during the debate on what is the second motion for no-confidence against the Cabinet of Rosen Zhelyazkov. This time it is over corruption.

The first was over the Cabinet's foreign policy and was defeated on April 3.

"There is total inaction on the part of the ministers and a lack of adequate measures to combat bribery, abuse of power, influence peddling, conflicts of interest, and money laundering in key institutions such as the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministries of Energy and Regional Development, and the security services subordinated to the Council of Ministers and working with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office," said Vasilev. According to him, since the formation of the current Cabinet, media outlets have exposed a trove of systemic corruption practices, political dependencies, protection of smuggling channels, and obstruction of investigations.

The inability and unwillingness of the government, led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Interior Minister Daniel Mitov, to address corruption and abuse of power across all branches of the State threaten Bulgaria’s national security and cast doubt on the effectiveness of the Cabinet's overall policies, said Vasilev. He added that the current government not only appears to have accepted corruption as normal but also seems to tolerate it.

he further argued that the Cabinet has failed to take action to introduce bills related to the anti-corruption section of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), despite the fact that their adoption is a precondition for receiving the second payment under the plan. "The government appears willing to forfeit EUR 653 million from the second installment of the RRP, along with several billion euro more in future payments," he added.

The reasons for the motion included some high-profile cases where MECh see corruption: allocations for energy projects including the expansion of the Chiren gas storage facility, the deal with Turkish gas company BOTAS, the Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant, among others. "In conclusion, the funds allocated in the state budget for the energy sector are extremely risky investments, lacking transparency," Vasilev said.

He also stated that a major issue is the corruption within the structures of the Interior Ministry, which undermines public trust in law enforcement and threatens national security. The Ministry of the Interior has also been actively obstructing the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in its investigations into misuse of EU funds.

Losing the floor

Vasilev's speech was cut short by the Parliament Chair, Nataliya Kiselova, as he overused the allotted speaking time. He said that was unprecedented. "Never has a Parliament Chair interrupted a speaker as they present the reasons for a no-confidence motion," he told reporters in the corridors of Parliament. 

He said that MECh are "thinking of having somebody else preside over the Wednesday sitting". He also said that they are thinking of moving the vote to Holy Friday.

The vote on a no-confidence motion is held at least 24 hours after the end of the debate.