Bulgarian Turks Rule Out Coalition with Ex-Rulers, Nationalists

Movement for Rights and Freedoms Leader Lyutvi Mestan. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s predominantly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) will not enter a coalition with either the center-right GERB party or the ultranationalist Ataka (Attack), DPS leader Lyutvi Mestan has declared.

Mestan told the Bulgarian National Radio on Tuesday that DPS and Ataka have not merely political differences but are “based on different values.”

Mestan also declared that his party’s stance on GERB is “perfectly clear and definite.”

“With the way it ruled the country, GERB deserved their total isolation,” he stated, referring to the fact that no parties in Parliament are willing to negotiate with the center-right outfit.
The DPS leader noted that his party would consider entering a coalition with the Bulgarian Socialist Party only after it gets acquainted with its governing program.

The liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms's 10.46% can get it 33 seats in Parliament. The predominantly ethnic Turkish party is expected to cooperate with BSP.

With 27.06% of ballots, the Socialists are likely to receive 87 of Bulgaria's 240 MP seats.
Ataka, who are the fourth and last party to enter parliament this time over (7.39%), is likely to get 23 MP seats.

The center-right GERB of former PM Boyko Borisov, which again came out first at the vote with 30.74%, is likely to get 97 MPs.

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