site.btaParliament Holds Debate on 5th No-confidence Motion against Government

The National Assembly Wednesday debated on a fifth motion of no confidence in the Rosen Zhelyazkov Government, over alleged failure in the sectors of internal security and justice, worsening the problem of state capture. The motion will be put to the vote on Thursday. 

The motion was submitted on September 12 by Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and Morality, Unity, Honour (MECH), who accuse the Zhelyazkov Cabinet of a systematic failure in maintaining public order and security, ensuring justice, and tackling the erosion of state institutions. The motion is co-signed by MPs from the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF). 

Presenting the reasoning for the motion, MECh leader Radostin Vasilev said that this failure "has led to capture of the State, in which it is controlled by formal and informal structures and groups, some of which are openly mafia-like". "State capture is a problem of systemic corruption at the highest levels of power, through which institutions cease to function. This corruption is also tied to inaction within the Ministry of Interior and serves the interests of a small group of criminals," he pointed out. He went on to criticize Interior Minister Daniel Mitov for failing to act, lacking understanding of internal security matters, and being unwilling to take adequate measures to end criminal practices within his Ministry, as well as decisive actions to counter various forms of crime in society. "The sooner Rosen Zhelyazkov gets rid of this Minister of Interior and the entire government resigns, the sooner the rule of law and statehood can return to Bulgaria," declared Vasilev.

Bozhidar Bozhanov MP of CC-DB underscored state capture as one of the reasons behind the fifth motion of no confidence. "Undoubtedly, at the top of the pyramid of state capture is [Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning Floor Leader] Delyan Peevski, who controls the state apparatus through years of systematically establishing influence in the security services and various parts of the judiciary, but especially in the prosecution service despite his negligible political legitimacy." The MP continued: "But Peevski is not the root cause of the captured state - he is a caricature of an oligarch who plays with the State like a child with a fragile toy. [...] The root cause is that, for the most part, the political class, especially the leaders of the parties in the current government, is weak, fearful, corrupt, submissive, probably getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar." The MP was adamant that the long-term damage caused by the current government is increasing with each passing day as it continues to support the takeover of institutions. The alternative is for the next government to be guided by different principles, Bozhanov argued. According to him, any subsequent government will also be a coalition, and compromises will be necessary, but voters would not find that to be a problem, as they favour compromise when it benefits the public.

Democratic Bulgaria Co-Chair Atanas Atanasov said that the repressive state institutions have been usurped by those in power to carry out political orders against opponents and mainly against the opposition. He noted that Bulgaria has had an acting Prosecutor General for more than two years, when the amendments to the Judicial System Act adopted in January limit an acting prosecutor general's term in office to six months, and he was appointed by the Prosecutors’ Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), whose term has already expired. Atanasov also criticized the Government's proposal to appoint State Agency for National Security acting head Denyo Denev as permanent chair, noting that he was nominated despite President Rumen Radev’s public objection.

Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said the no-confidence motion is "a hotchpotch, a compilation of rumours, slander, fabrications and denunciations". He argued that with increased traffic after Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen, there has been a decrease in road accident rates. He explained that the systematic measures taken by the government are a good basis for reducing road accidents in the medium and long term, and other measures will be taken, for which Parliament will have to make the necessary legislative changes. He presented data showing that in July and August, Bulgarian firefighters extinguished nearly 10,000 fires, with over 5,000 firefighters participating in the extinguishing efforts. In 2025, new high-clearance pickups, high-pressure systems, thousands of sets of protective clothing, and drones were delivered to the fire department. Since the beginning of 2025, there has been a dramatic reduction in migrant pressure, with a 70% decrease compared to the previous year, and in the first eight months, attempts to cross the border have significantly decreased, with their number equal to those in a single week in August 2023, the Interior Minister said. He also presented data showing an increase it the amount of seized drugs and illegal cigarettes. Regarding the Academy of the Ministry of Interior and the personnel it trains, Mitov commented that this was one of the most absurd motives for a vote of no confidence and stated that it was ridiculous to attack this institution with empty insinuations and slander. 

Minister of Justice Georgi Georgiev said that in the justice section, the reasoning for the no-confidence motion is scant and offensively unsubstantiated. Three of the 13 pages on justice are copied from European Commission reports on the rule of law in Bulgaria, but only the negative aspects were taken from the summary, while paragraphs acknowledging this Cabinet’s contribution were deliberately omitted. Minister Georgiev handed former justice ministers Nadejda Iordanova and Atanas Slavov recommendations from these Commission reports from recent years, pointing out that the recommendations addressed to the current government are the same, and therefore cannot serve as valid grounds for the no-confidence vote. Georgiev also displayed a printout of a 2023 vote concerning Article 10 of the Anti-Corruption Act, which showed that the then-government unanimously voted for its preservation. Georgiev noted that now part of the arguments in the no-confidence motion criticise the current cabinet for maintaining this same provision, which he believes to be inconsistent.

GERB leader Boyko Borissov commented that the fifth motion of no confidence can only be described as irresponsible. Borissov argued that the ruling majority has been unstable since the beginning, and drafting the state budget should not be threatened. "Imagine that the Cabinet falls and we start to draw up a budget that should guarantee entry into the eurozone. How will the 3% deficit be covered? Did anyone think about that? If no majority is available to stabilize the government tomorrow, meaning that the motion does not pass, we can expect a terrible budget that will go up to 8% or 9%." He proceeded to slam CC-DB, who initiated the vote of no confidence, for having jumped on the "Russian bandwagon against the euro".

In response to Borissov's statement, Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev told journalists that the budget deficit could reach 8% if the government does not fall. By the end of July, GERB's financial policy had led to a record deficit of over BGN 4 billion, said Vassilev. “By comparison, when I was [finance] minister, there was no deficit one year, and no deficit the next year,” he pointed out and argued that a deficit of BGN 4 billion, which is 2%, means that it will be very difficult, even impossible, for the budget to fit within the 3% framework. Vassilev explained that the national debt currently stands at over BGN 18 billion. “We have BGN 6 billion for all pensions and salaries, BGN 3 billion for old debts, BGN 9 billion has been withdrawn by this government and put into the Bulgarian Development Bank, the Bulgarian Energy Holding and all kinds of other coffers, so it is impossible to tie them to a financial policy,” he added.

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov reproached the initiators of the fifth no-confidence motion for what he called an unprofessional approach and undue delay. The motion is based on several motives, which means that no new no-confidence motion can be submitted on these topics for the next six months. According to Kostadinov, Bulgaria is ruled by “a mafia-type organised criminal group which distributes the state budget as it pleases, meaning that it steals it.” He went on to say that in recent years it has become evident that organised criminal groups from Ukraine operate freely in Bulgaria under high-level protection. One such group, active in the coastal cities of Burgas and Varna for over a year and a half, enjoys protection from the highest level – the leadership of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), he alleged. In his words, this group cooperates equally well with GERB, MRF, and the local leadership of CC–DB in Varna. “For us in Vazrazhdane, it is clear that the state is truly captured. What the people need is not a no-confidence vote, but a revolution,” Kostadinov declared.

MRF-New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski described the no-confidence motion as “a pointless exercise and a waste of time.” “I told them that there are three years and a few months left until the end of the [Rosen Zhelyazkov Cabinet's] term. They [CC-DB] should stop exercising themselves and start thinking about how to help people,” Peevski said. According to him, “those who plundered the state for nearly five years have no shame bringing forward a no-confidence motion on such topics.” “The dark times of bundles of cash, poodles, interior ministers, and the dragging of political leaders are over – and I am the guarantor of that,” Peevski added.

MRF - New Beginning Deputy Floor Leader Jordan Tzonev said that the motion and its reasoning can best be described as a "parade of hypocrisy", particularly on the part of CC-DB. The MP stated that those speaking about the rule of law today are the same people who would trample the Constitution and violate the law, seemingly referring to the arrest of GERB leader Boyko Borissov that took place in March 2022 while Continue the Change were in power, and Tzonev questioned whether the arrest of an opposition leader is an example of upholding the rule of law. Regarding the justice system and the emphasis placed by the motion on the US Magnitsky Act, Tzonev said that the sanctions against Peevski were fabricated. Tzonev alleged that Peevski's sanction under the Magnitsky Act is a lie invented and manipulated by the Prokopiev family, thanks to their personal connections with "certain circles in the US administration". Tzonev praised Peevski for not allowing CC-DB to capture the state. The MRF - New Beginning Deputy Floor Leader told CC-DB that the era of protest politics as a tool to bring down governments belongs to the past.

BSP - United Left Floor Leader Dragomir Stoynev said: "This government will survive, and from now on, it expects much longer-term work with the implementation of structural reforms that are necessary for the Bulgarian citizens and the state." According to him, the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov has so far been solving problems and extinguishing fires, but it has also started working, and the results have started to become visible. "I assure you that with the new budget, this government will begin to show the long-term policies it has," said Stoynev. He pointed out that the main problem for Bulgarian citizens is maintaining their standard of living and ensuring stability in the country. Stoynev also added that today’s government is not a coincidence, but a direct result of the political irresponsibility and lack of dialogue from the CC-DB coalition. According to Stoynev, it was their inconsistency and refusal to take responsibility that led to the current structure of the government. "If there had been more dialogue and a willingness for real work, rather than just slogans, today’s government would have a different face and different support," Stoynev added.

There Is Such a People Deputy Floor Leader Stanislav Balabanov said there is no alternative to the current government, but a pitiful gathering of people for whom power is everything. He attacked the reasoning behind the vote, saying that the first thing that stands out is that the majority of the claims from the initiators are based mainly on questionable sources and rumors. Next, he noted the mechanical assembly of the motives, which led to the inclusion of reasoning in the section on failure in internal security that has nothing to do with the work of the Interior Ministry or with justice. Obviously, the initiators have their own understanding of the concepts of internal security and justice, which differs from the generally accepted one, but they have not presented it in their motives, which gives grounds to believe that the actual idea of the initiators is for the vote to concern the overall policy, but they did not consider it necessary to state it explicitly. Because they clearly know that if a motion on overall policy is rejected, there is a constitutional prohibition against introducing a new one within the next six months, stressed Balabanov.

Hassan Ademov MP of ARF said that the government survives solely on the support of Delyan Peevski and MRF - New Beginning. Although it seems impossible to topple the Cabinet at present, opposition parties are unable to spark a meaningful debate with those in power to expose methods of covert governance that serve private interests, not the public good. Ademov added that finding alternatives is ultimately up to voters, whose choices suggest possible formulas for governing. He argued that another purpose of the no-confidence motion is to reveal fundamental problems in governance, forcing coalition partners, who technically comprise a minority government, to face the electoral consequences of continued support, which he described as significant. Finally, Ademov said that the governing parties’ tendency to dismiss no-confidence motions as a waste of time betrayed their anxiety and fear. He stressed that this motion united all opposition parties, despite their differences, and inspired protest energy. 

Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov said uncertainty surrounds support for the motion of no confidence. He noted that potential backing would depend on preliminary talks and compromising material against MPs. According to him, the motion has a chance of passing because there are people, even within GERB, who feel very uneasy that Peevski is gradually taking over GERB. Mihaylov said that Velichie did not sign the current no-confidence motion because the party was not consulted. However, he added that Velichie supports the motion. Mihaylov reported a new extortion scheme in which authorities classify properties along the coast and in resorts as illegal constructions, exposing owners to potential blackmail. He went on to say that there had been pressure and assault against a journalist who is an associate of a Velichie MP. He added that his party intends to approach EU institutions because of comments made by Justice Minister Georgiev against Velichie.

The Zhelyazkov Government has survived four no-confidence motions. The first one was for failure in the foreign policy sector initiated by Vazrazhdane, backed by Velichie and MECh. It was followed by one for failure in the fight against corruption initiated by MECh, supported by Velichie and Vazrazhdane. The next one was for failure in the area of fiscal policy submitted by Vazrazhdane, with support from MECh and Velichie. The fourth was for failure in the environment and water sector initiated by Velichie, supported by MECh and Vazrazhdane, and additionally backed in plenary by MPs of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms.