site.btaUPDATED CC-DB and MECh Members of Parliament Submit 5th No-Confidence Motion in Zhelyazkov Cabinet

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and MECh MPs submitted a motion of no confidence in the Rosen Zhelyazkov Cabinet on Friday. The sponsors specified that the motion is over the Cabinet's "failure of internal order and security, justice, and state capture".

The vote was submitted with the signatures of CC-DB, MECh, and a part of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, said CC-DB MP Bozhidar Bozhanov. The contribution to the section concerning internal security and public order was made by MECh, while the rest of the 80-page statement was drafted by CC-DB. According to Bozhanov, the government is failing in the areas of internal security and justice, while the problem of state capture is deepening, leading to a lack of justice and the impoverishment of the Bulgarian people.

The MP stated: "Our vote is against the fact that the majority is not fighting and is not trying to stop the collapse of institutions but is exacerbating it through its systematic refusal to cope. We believe that Bulgarian citizens should see the systematic failure of this government, which is pushing the country towards an Eastern model rather than a European future."

Bozhanov said that the State is systematically refusing to fight against behind-the-scenes interests. He added: "When it comes to the circles and behind-the-scenes dealings, we must first mention [Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan] Peevski, who, through illegitimate means, has gained more and more power in the country." The CC-DB MP compared the current situation to an oligarchy and a dictatorship.

CC Chair Assen Vassilev said that Bulgaria deserves a better government than the current one. He argued that the government in office today is to blame for the prices of electricity having risen more in six months than in the last three years, when there was an energy crisis.

Vassilev said: "The price of water has increased – when it is available and when it is not, it is 20% more expensive than last year." He added that university fees, vignettes, and tolls have also increased. Vassilev further said that the poverty line is beginning to rise faster than wages and stated.

DB Chair Atanas Atanassov said there are serious flaws in the area of internal security and public order. He accused the government of having usurped repressive power to be used against inconvenient persons.

This is the fifth vote of no confidence in the Zhelyazkov Cabinet. The first vote was for failure in the foreign policy sector. It was followed by one for failure in the fight against corruption, then for failure in the area of fiscal policy, and lastly, for failure in the environment and water sector.