Bulgarian Right-Wing MP Urges Party Leaders to Resign

Dimo Gyaurov, a Member of the Parliament from the Blue Coalition. Photo by BGNES

Dimo Gyaurov, MP with Bulgarian right-wing party Union of Democratic Forces, has called upon the members of the party's governing body to resign over their involvement in the country's latest constitutional court scandal.

Gyaurov believes UDF leader Emil Kabaivanov allowed the party to be used by the ruling centrist-right GERB as a cover-up of its own failure to elect a constitutional judge.

According to the lawmaker, UDF's National Executive Council assumed the "shameful role of GERB's escort women" by agreeing to nominate a constitutional judge for them.

A seat in the Constitutional Court remained empty on November 15, when Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev walked out just as controversial judge Veneta Markovska was about to swear in.

Markovska's name had become implicated in allegations of trade in influence, which she was unable to dispel, but nevertheless chose not to resign, after being elected to the Constitutional Court by Parliament.

Last week, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov unexpectedly invited UDF to nominate a replacement for Markovska on grounds the formation was the oldest right-wing party in Bulgaria and is a member of the European People's Party, EPP, similarly to his ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB.

UDF's governing body agreed and nominated former President Petar Stoyanov (1997-2001) for constitutional judge. However, Stoyanov declined.

The rift in Bulgaria's right-wing Union of Democratic Forces, UDF, deepened Monday morning after Kabaivanov confirmed plans for coalition with GERB and the expulsion of the party's "maverick" members.