site.btaPlanned Joint Opposition Meeting on No-Confidence Proposal by MECh Called Off

A meeting of the parliamentary opposition, planned to take place on Wednesday to discuss a fifth no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, was called off after one of the invited parliamentary groups refused to participate, and another one said it would prefer a separate session with MECh, who initiated the motion. The topic of the intended vote against the government is its alleged failure to deal with internal security.

The parliamentary groups invited to the joint meeting were Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, Vazrazhdane, and Velichie.

Early in the day, Velichie said they would accept the invitation. Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov commented: “Our main goal is to end the illegitimate government and the illegitimate parliament, which came from illegitimate elections.” Mihaylov argued: “In the plenary hall, we're seeing the same thing - on one side is Vazrazhdane and on the other is Democratic Bulgaria [DB]. What they are doing is cementing the government.” He noted that instead of uniting the people and not focusing on Russia and Ukraine, DB is once again shifting the point of contention between the electorates in the wrong direction. Seeking immunity for MPs means that their electorate will not support the protests. On the other side is Vazrazhdane. The two parties are serving the authorities and preventing the formation of a consolidated opposition to bring down the government, Mihaylov said.

Boyko Borissov, leader of GERB, the main party in the government coalition, commented that CC-DB, Vazrazhdane and Velichie are all the same: pro-Russian parties that are against the euro. Borissov noted that if over the next few months prices and profiteering are not controlled, and if there is no regular government to adopt a budget with a 3% deficit, a caretaker cabinet would allow the deficit to reach 5-6%, and on January 1 next year, Bulgaria will be ready to leave the Eurozone as soon as it joins it.

CC–DB said they will hold a separate meeting with MECh. “Since Boyko Borissov allowed himself, in a sense, to speculate that supposedly we would all sit at the same table with pro-Russian parties, no! Our meeting with MECh will be separate and specifically related to their proposal for the vote to focus on the security sector,” MP Bozhidar Bozhanov (CC-DB) said. “And since the security sector worries GERB, who are currently bragging about dismantled contraband factories, this is the question we’re asking: is there a connection between the recently dismantled contraband cigarette factory and the cigarette smuggling ring in Plovdiv a year ago?” he added. “If they’re boasting about their operations in the security sector, why don’t they look at who’s underneath the surface, is it not Peevski [leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning]?” Bozhanov said. According to Democratic Bulgaria (DB), there are arguments that the vote should take place after the parliamentary recess. They said they would not negotiate with Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of Vazrazhdane, on this vote.

Vazrazhdane, who insisted that the no-confidence motion should be tabled as early as Thursday, said they would not go to a joint meeting of the opposition. Vazrazhdane deputy floor leader Tsoncho Ganev said such talks are just a waste of time. He urged the opposition groups simply to sign the MECh motion, so it can be debated in Parliament next week. Otherwise, Vazrazhdane will initiate another no-confidence procedure, which will be on the topic of water shortages, Ganev said.

After it became clear that the planned joint meeting was falling through, MECh leader Radostin Vasilev said they will hold separate meetings with the other opposition forces except Vazrazhdane. Vasilev argued that a joint meeting was the better option, because otherwise the no-confidence vote would look like its aim is to support the government, not to bring it down. "We do not understand Vazrazhdane's behaviour, we do not understand why they refused," he said.