Bulgarian Nationalists Urge Referendum on Turkey's EU Bid

Views on BG | October 15, 2010, Friday // 11:25|  views

Nationalist leader Volen Siderov and all the MPs from his party appeared in parliament on October 6 dressed up in a T-shirt with an inscription, reading: “Ataka Says No to Turkey's EU Entry”. Photo by BGNES

By Vesselin Zhelev

waz.euobserver.com/

A Bulgarian nationalist party is calling for an immediate referendum on Turkey's bid to join the European Union. Ataka, a key ally of the minority centre-right government, radically opposes the country's eventual admission into the EU.

The issue is sure to give a headache to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who is swamped with economic problems and has recently pledged support for Turkey's candidacy to his visiting Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

At the same time, it is vital for Mr Borisov to keep Ataka happy as his own GERB party is short of a majority in parliament.

The proposed referendum question, which the parliament is expected to debate next Wednesday, is: "Do you agree that the Republic of Turkey should join the EU as a member state?"

The motion came shortly after another nationalist group, the moderate extra-parliamentary VMRO, announced it had collected more than 320,000 signatures under a petition for such a referendum.

Under Bulgarian law, parliament is obliged to consider calling a referendum if at least 200,000 people demand it. The authenticity of the signatures must be first verified, after which lawmakers have three months to decide whether to call a vote.

Ataka has a strong line on Turkey's admission into the EU and has consistently stoked fears related to the five centuries of harsh Ottoman rule in Bulgaria, which ended in 1878.

"This is a state which is not European and is being ruled by Islamist fundamentalists and it will always be a threat to Bulgaria," said Volen Siderov, the party's flamboyant leader, alluding to Mr Erdogan's Islamist background.

The chances for the nationalists' draft to fly are uncertain. While meeting Mr Erdogan in Sofia, Mr Borisov clearly stated that Turkey still had a lot to negotiate with the EU, that Bulgaria was ready to help and that the issue of a possible referendum was not on the agenda.

Mr Borisov's GERB has 117 of a total of 240 seats in Bulgaria's unicameral parliament and rules with the consent of 21 deputies from Ataka and 14 members of the small centre-right Blue Coalition, many of which also oppose Turkey's EU accession. They have also grown increasingly critical of Mr Borisov's economic and social policies.

The government has been steadily losing popularity as it struggles with a stagnating economy and 10 percent unemployment, and has cut spending to bridge a fiscal deficit 0.8 percent over the three percent EU threshold.

Observers have noted that Ataka is seeking to raise its profile, as it has seen electoral support dwindle dangerously close to the four percent minimum a party needs to enter parliament. The Blue Coalition has already sunk below that level.

Early elections would be a disaster for both parties if they ditch Mr Borisov, but they risk losing credibility if they keep supporting a government that opposes their demands.

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Tags: nationalist, VMRO, compensation, Referendum, Turkey EU membership, Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, turkey, Volen Siderov

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