Bulgarian Nationalist Leader Seeks Official Stance of Chief Prosecutor on his MP Immunity

Volen Siderov, leader of Bulgarian nationalist party Ataka, photo by BGNES

Volen Siderov, leader of nationalist party Ataka, has asked Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov and Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev to come up with an official response regarding the calls for stripping him of his parliamentary immunity.

In an open published Tuesday, Siderov also urges Tsvetelin Yovchev to fulfill his duties as Interior Minister and guarantee public order during the ongoing anti-government protests.

"Over the past few weeks, political parties, which failed at the parliamentary elections, have been trying to compensate for their political impotence with attacks and provocations against me, Volen Siderov, and Ataka," he says.

Siderov comments on the June 28 letter of the right-wing Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party asking Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov to strip Siderov of his MP immunity after he threatened protesters with civilian arrests.

"Politicians who were left outside Parliament, instead of resigning from their leadership posts due to the undisputed failure of their policies, directed their aggression against me and issued unfounded calls for the lifting of my immunity," he says.

The nationalist leader insists that "business circles close to former ruling center-right party GERB also participate in these provocations."

He suggests that the allies of GERB are currently suffering huge losses "due to the work of the 42nd National Assembly, which took the necessary steps to terminate corruption schemes."

Siderov urges Tsatsarov and Yovchev to come up with a clear statement whether they have received enough information indicating that he broke the law.

He also reminds of Article 69 of the Constitution under MPs cannot be held criminally responsible for their voting or for opinions they express, regardless of whether they are expressed at work or not, as long as the statements regard their office.

"Under the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, I, in my capacity as MP, have the right to express my political beliefs and civil stance freely, without this being a reason for a request to lift my MP immunity," he states.

Siderov urges Tsatsarov and Yovchev to come up with an official stance on the matter in order to "put an end to speculations affecting Parliament, the Prosecutor's Office and the Interior Ministry."

He also calls on Yovchev to fulfill his duties as Interior Minister and prevent acts of vandalism in Sofia during the ongoing protests against the socialist-led government of Plamen Oresharski.

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