Political Rift in Bulgaria: "We Continue the Change" Expels Members Over Speaker Vote Disagreement

Following today's vote for the Speaker of the National Assembly, "We Continue the Change" (WCC) demanded the resignations of Daniel Lorer and Yavor Bozhankov. By decision of the party's Executive Council, Daniel Lorer was expelled from the party and all its bodies.

The reason for this action was their votes earlier in the day against Silvi Kirilov's candidacy for Speaker of the National Assembly. Lorer cast an abstention vote, while Bozhankov voted against. This decision was made after deputies from "Democratic Bulgaria" (DB) unexpectedly announced their support for the "There Is Such a People" (TISP) candidate. With their votes, TISP's candidate would have been elected as Speaker.

If Lorer and Bozhankov decide to remain independent deputies and do not leave the parliament, the WCC-DB parliamentary group will be equally divided with the Revival's parliamentary group.

"Democratic Bulgaria" (DB)'s response to the expulsion was swift. Coalition MP Elisaveta Belobradova, from the DB group, defended Lorer and Bozhankov's right to vote differently from their colleagues. She argued that the right to a free vote was a fundamental value for their coalition. In a post on her Facebook profile, Belobradova emphasized that disagreements on issues within the coalition did not justify punishing MPs for their votes.

The decision to expel Lorer and Bozhankov came after the National Assembly failed for the seventh time to elect a Speaker. Silvi Kirilov from "There Is Such a People" received support from 118 MPs, marking the first time the entire WCC-DB coalition, except for Lorer and Bozhankov, backed Kirilov.

Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of the Revival party, commented on the expulsions, calling the decision to expel Lorer "anti-Semitic". In addition, he accused the two MPs of having connections with Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) leader Delyan Peevski. He argued that these MPs should leave their parliamentary group and join DPS immediately. Kostadinov also suggested that the divisions within WCC-DB indicated that forming a government was unlikely in the current parliament.

Radostin Vassilev, leader of the "Morality Unity Honor" (MECH) party, also criticized the situation in the parliament, calling the political process a "fixed match." He accused DB of being confused in its handling of the situation and suggested that their behavior during the vote was pre-planned. Vassilev argued that the absence of a Speaker would be detrimental to the public, adding that MPs should donate their salaries for the month if they failed to elect a Speaker.

In addition, he criticized the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) for their decision not to participate in the vote, stating that their behavior seemed influenced by other political parties. Vassilev called for a new Speaker to be proposed and for procedural rules to ensure that the parliamentary session continued until a Speaker was elected.

MECH's stance was that the current parliament was unable to produce any meaningful legislation or governance, and they called for new elections. Vassilev argued that the upcoming elections could help stabilize Bulgaria's political landscape and prevent further deadlock.

"It is clear that they are waiting for a godfather, they cannot understand each other. Apparently their father should call them, scold these kids and tell them what to do". This was stated to the media by the chairman of the DPS-New Beginning, Delyan Peevski. When asked who the godfather is, Peevski replied: "Look who is landing today"*. "If only it happens, there will be a loud 'Congratulations!' from us and then the people's love comes with democracy, because this is a parody of a parliament. This is full of people who think only about their cash and their accumulated wealth", concluded the chairman of the DPS-New Beginning.

*Peevski is referring to President Rumen Radev

Background:

Overall, the political turmoil surrounding the National Assembly's inability to elect a Speaker has deepened divisions between the main parliamentary groups in Bulgaria, creating uncertainty about the formation of a stable government. With calls for new elections growing louder, the political landscape in Bulgaria remains in flux.

Sources:

• Facebook
• Novini.bg