Quitting Key Bulgarian Liberal Asks Freeze of Party Membership

Former DPS Deputy Chairman and former Deputy Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, photo by BGNES

Hristo Biserov, a key lawmaker from Bulgaria's liberal and predominantly ethnic Turkish party, DPS, who surprisingly quit Sunday, has asked to have his membership in the movement frozen.

On Sunday, the unexpected news that Biserov, a long-time politician, Deputy Chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee, is resigning from his position in the party and is leaving the Parliament, citing personal reasons, quickly made headlines in Bulgaria.

The news about the membership freeze was announced to journalists Monday by DPS leader Lyutvi Mestan, after a meeting of the movement's leadership and its parliamentary group.

On Sunday, Mestan informed the Deputy Chairman of DPS has requested an urgent personal meeting with him and with the honorary chairman of the movement Ahmed Dogan during which he has explained he was retiring. Biserov has cited personal reasons that in no way affected the policies of DPS. He has asked to be allowed to choose himself the moment to make the reasons for his decision public.

Mestan commented he was taken by huge surprise by the lawmaker's words and was under the impression that Dogan has also been very surprised.

"Biserov's resignation was not solicited or caused by Mestan, Dogan and anyone in the party hierarchy. This act cannot be interpreted either as direct or even indirect assessment of the movement's policies, precisely because the reasons are personal," said the DPS leader.

"Personal reasons can be family reasons, and God forbid, other circumstances," continued Mestan. Asked to comment on suggestions that the decision was made for health reasons, he replied that he had no information Biserov has had such problems.

"I will make an official assessment of the work of the Deputy Chairman of the party when I hear the official reasons for him leaving. Until then, for me the case is not over," said he.

Mestan insists he and Dogan do not know yet what has prompted the surprising move.

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