Bulgarian Lawmaker 'Bat Sali' Complains of 'Discrimination'

A picture of Aleksandar Metodiev (Bat Sali) dated July 30, 2014, as he is in Parliament after a failed session of the previous legislature. Photo by BGNES

The controversial DPS lawmaker Aleksandar Metodiev, dubbed "Bat Sali", has said protesters demanding his resignation are discriminating against him.

Metodiev was sworn in on Monday as a lawmaker from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) when Parliament held its inaugural session, amid protests demanding he should not assume office.

He topped the election list of the DPS in a constituency (10th Electoral District) of 62 000 where his party got only 800 votes, but managed to produce an MP due to redistribution of expat votes (it got nearly half of all 135 000 ballots cast abroad).

"This is personally against Aleksandar Metodiev, not against the law. This is because the gypsy (sic!) Metodiev stemmed the flow on gypsy vote-buying. I am not ready to give up, because Kyustendil and Dupnitsa are not Bulgaria. These are bought protests against the person Aleksandar Metodiev," he told reporters.

"The solution is to change the law," he added, but was quick to declare "the problem is not the law, the problem is that [the protest is] against the gypsy Aleksandar Metodiev."

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!