Bulgarian Parliament Majority Blasts GERB for Failed No-Confidence Vote

Domestic | October 2, 2013, Wednesday // 11:02|  views

Sergey Stanishev, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), explained Wednesday that he had voted against the no-confidence motion against the government because it had not been an expression of constructive criticism on the part of the opposition.

The first no-confidence vote against Bulgaria's socialist-led coalition government was rejected on Wednesday, with 111 votes against, 86 votes for, and 20 abstainees.

The no-confidence motion was initiated by center-right party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) over the failed investment planning policy of the government.

78 MPs of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and 33 MPs of the liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms party (DPS) voted against, while 20 MPs of nationalist party Ataka abstained.

Stanishev told journalists that the actual reason behind the no-confidence motion had nothing to do with investment planning.

He argued that GERB had initiated the step in a bid to de-legitimize Parliament.

Stanishev reminded of the recent statement of GERB leader and former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov that the "the job of the opposition is to obstruct," stressing that the behavior of the center-right formation could hardly be described as "constructive."

Lyutvi Mestan, leader of the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party, noted that DPS MPs had opposed the no-confidence motion not only because they backed the government's program, but because the steps surrounding the vote had demonstrated "the downfall of the parliamentary opposition."

He insisted that GERB had not been stripped of power by BSP, DPS, nationalist party Ataka or any other formation, adding that the GERB government had been ousted by Bulgarian voters.

He emphasized that GERB had shown its dependence on Ataka repeatedly, including in the current Parliament, and during the term in office of the GERB government, adding that the MPs of the center-right party were supposed to feel ashamed about that.

GERB leader Boyko Borisov said that DPS was behaving impudently as if it had won the elections.

He pointed out that the vote of the Bulgarian people had made GERB the first political force and the other political parties had to comply with that instead of ruling by tricks.

He was adamant that GERB would act as opposition when some other political party won the elections.

Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski commented that he had anticipated the outcome of the no-confidence motion.

He reiterated his stance that the accusations which had triggered the no-confidence vote had been unfounded.

He added that GERB had obviously sought to achieve other goals than initiate an exhaustive debate on the government's investment planning policy.

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Tags: Plamen Oresharski, Boyko Borisov, GERB, Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, Ataka, DPS, Movement for Rights and Freedom, DPS, Lyutvi Mestan, Sergey Stanishev, BSP, Bulgarian Socialist Party, no-confidence vote

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