Bulgaria’s National Assembly Enforces Name Change on Dogan’s DPS Faction - Now It's APS

The parliamentary group associated with Ahmed Dogan has officially adopted the name “Alliance for Rights and Freedoms” (APS). This change was announced from the parliamentary rostrum by National Assembly Speaker Natalia Kiselova after deputies amended the Rules of Procedure to prevent political groups from using identical abbreviations. As a result, only Delyan Peevski’s Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) can keep that brand in the National Assembly.

Following the publication of the draft decision in the State Gazette, Dogan’s group had three days to propose a new name but failed to do so by the June 25 deadline, which led to the formal renaming to APS.

This move stems from a prior parliamentary decision, supported by 122 MPs from GERB, BSP – United Left, “There Is Such a People” (TISP), and the DPS faction led by Peevski known as “DPS – New Beginning.” The decision compelled Dogan’s parliamentary group, known as “Democracy, Rights and Freedoms,” to rename itself within three days. Opposition came from the “Revival” party and Dogan’s original DPS faction, who denounced the ruling as authoritarian.

Khairi Sadakov, chair of the DPS-Dogan group, criticized the decision vehemently, likening it to the repressive renaming policies of Bulgaria’s communist era. He accused state institutions of selectively targeting his group as part of a politically motivated campaign driven by an “oligarchic clique” and its allies.

“For nearly a year, we have faced systematic pressure,” Sadakov said. “Institutions captured by oligarchic interests act with clear intent, trying to displace our political representation. But history shows that forced and self-serving attempts like this ultimately fail.”

Sadakov emphasized that renaming the group does not undermine its legitimacy or its historical role representing ethnic minority communities. He portrayed the move as a disguised political attempt to sideline their voice under procedural pretexts.

He also claimed the decision fits a broader pattern of institutional repression aimed at marginalizing his group’s influence in parliament. According to Sadakov, the political identity and historical significance of his faction cannot be erased by procedural rulings.