site.btaDRF Floor Leader Sadakov Describes Groups Names Decision as “Totalitarian”

The National Assembly ban on the duplication of parliamentary groups’ names and abbreviations was described by Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF) Floor Leader Hayri Sadakov on Thursday as a “totalitarian” decision to change his group’s name, which had been approved by the Assembly.

Earlier in the day, the MPs adopted changes to the Rules of Organization and Procedure of the National Assembly regarding the names of parliamentary groups. The amendments stipulate that a parliamentary group’s name or abbreviation may no longer duplicate the name or abbreviation of another group, political party or coalition registered with the Central Election Commission (CEC) for participation in the most recent elections, including by the addition of words, letters, numbers or other symbols. The present 51st National Assembly includes two parliamentary groups using the Bulgarian abbreviation of "DPS": MRF - New Beginning, led by Delyan Peevski, and Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF), which was formed by MPs loyal to MRF honorary chair Ahmed Dogan. The CEC accepted applications from both factions for the last parliamentary elections and both continue to claim ownership of the once-solid party of Movement for Rights and Freedoms (or DPS in Bulgarian).

Sadakov said in his comment that Thursday’s ban did not really come as a surprise to the DRF group, because, for a year and a half now, they have been subject to “constant repressions, absolutely selective and tendentious, from the state institutions.” “Even after the latest abominable actions against us, there is no force that can change the historical truth about the real political representation of ethnic minority groups and our compatriots who share our values.”

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms has its core base in areas predominantly populated by ethnic Turks and is traditionally seen as an ethnic Turkish party, although its leaders insist that it represents Liberal-minded voters who may belong to other ethnic communities, including Bulgarians.

Sadakov blamed Delyan Peevski, the leader of the other DPS group (Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning) for trying to steal that representation, including by pressuring part of the leadership and the majority in the present National Assembly into making a “tendentious” change to the Assembly’s rules aimed at renaming his (Sadakov’s) group. Sadakov said that Peevski will not achieve what he wants because “historical facts show that any such forcible change from selfish motives leads to an adverse outcome of the dictatorial actions invariably and swiftly.”

Asked what his group will be called after Thursday’s ban, Sadakov said the group will meet to plan its future actions.