site.btaMRF-New Beginning Confirms Conditional Support for Zhelyazkov Cabinet

Support for Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s cabinet will continue as long as it works in the interest of the people and follows Bulgaria’s clear and irreversible Euro-Atlantic path, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)-New Beginning MP Iskra Mihaylova said here on Wednesday, speaking from the Parliamentary rostrum.

After four years of stagnation and abuse, people expect stability, Mihaylova said. "Today, we remind the governing coalition that our support is for actions that benefit the public, because only that gives meaning to governance," she said.

At the start of the new parliamentary session, MRF-New Beginning reaffirmed its mission to act in the public interest and to use all parliamentary instruments to defend what is necessary for the people of Bulgaria, Mihaylova noted. In order to achieve this, she said, Parliament must stop wasting time on pointless debates, procedural tricks, and issues that distract public attention and exploit fears.

MRF-New Beginning will continue to work responsibly and competently in the 51st National Assembly, without having representatives in the parliamentary leadership. This, the declaration reads, sends a clear signal that responsibility towards the people and the country is not a guise for seeking appointments or deals, as has been the case with those who have misused public trust for years.

Mihaylova called on Chair of the Parliament Nataliya Kiselova to ensure effective work of the standing committees. The group expects efficient organization of plenary sittings and once again pointed to the low public approval of Parliament as a sign of a lack of trust.

"It is our duty to show the meaning of parliamentarism. For you, Madam Chair, this is a responsibility, a duty, and the essence of the high office you hold," Mihaylova told Kiselova.

MRF-New Beginning also urged the ruling coalition parties to shed the influence of "attempts at blackmail and extortion by marginal groups that represent no one but their own personal interests, yet demand positions and mislead the National Assembly with unfounded requests." It is time to forget the fringe players and focus on work of public benefit, the political force said.

The group called for the legislature’s agenda to reflect the priorities of Bulgarian citizens. "All of us in this chamber, sent here by the people, must demonstrate that no one is above the law and everyone must bear responsibility for their actions," Mihaylova said. She added that hiding behind immunity when individuals are charged with crimes is humiliating both for them and for those who enable such evasion. "It is also humiliating for voters, and procedural tricks only deepen the shame," Mihaylova said.

Earlier this week Kiselova said requests to lift MPs’ immunities will be handled at the next plenary sitting when regulator appointments are also expected to move forward.