Bulgarian MEP Barekov 'to Quit' His Party's Coalition

Nikolay Barekov, MEP and head of Bulgaria without Censorship party, is to step down from the leadership structures of the coalition centered around his party.

In a press statement Barekov argues the coalition was set up with "electoral" purposes.

His move follows two days of tensions between him and MPs, which are grouped in an entity they call Bulgarian Democratic Center, over BDC's decision to support two legislative moves of the main ruling party, conservative GERB.

BDC backed on Friday both a much-disputed pension reform and amendments to the Interior Ministry Act and subsequently was harshly criticized by Barekov for its decision.

As a result of his words, BDC responded by appointing Lyuben Dilov, a well-known figure in Bulgaria's society, as its "Spokesperson", saying he would be the only one to speak on its behalf.

According to the website Dnevnik.bg, Barekov wrote a new press statement later on Sunday to demand that BDC throw publicly its support behind the two bills.

Barekov's BwC-led coalition came sixth in the October 5 early elections. The MEP, who had previously been quite open about his Prime Minister ambitions, chose then to retain his seat at the European Parliament.

Presently, only 6 out of the 14 MPs of BDC belong to his party, even though Rosen Petrov, a former BwC official who left the party last week, pledged "loyalty" to the group.

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