Bulgaria’s Government Survives Third No-Confidence Vote Over Fiscal Policy

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s cabinet has once again survived a no-confidence vote in the Bulgarian parliament - its third attempt since taking office. The motion, initiated by the nationalist “Revival” party over what it described as a failed fiscal policy, was defeated with 130 votes against and 54 in support. No MPs abstained. A second round of voting was requested and yielded identical results, after which National Assembly Speaker Natalia Kiselova officially declared the motion unsuccessful.

The parties that backed the government and voted down the motion included GERB, “There Is Such a People” (TISP), and “BSP – United Left”. They were joined by 27 deputies from “DPS – New Beginning” (DPS-Peevski). On the opposing side, “Revival” was supported by 11 MPs from MECH and 10 from “Greatness”. The reformist WCC-DB coalition and the APS group (DPS-Dogan) chose not to participate, having already stated they would not support the vote.

This is the third time the Zhelyazkov government has faced such a challenge. Previous motions accused the cabinet of failing in the areas of foreign policy and anti-corruption, but none have succeeded. Under parliamentary rules, another no-confidence motion based on fiscal grounds cannot be tabled for six months.

Kostadin Kostadinov, the leader of “Revival,” claimed a moral victory despite the defeat, stating that the party had presented undeniable data - originating from the Ministry of Finance itself - that demonstrated the government’s fiscal mismanagement. Kostadinov promised the opposition would persist: “The votes will continue,” he said, branding the administration as harmful and incapable. MECH’s Kiril Veselinski added that their vote was cast against what he called the “Banditsky and Magnitsky” (bandit-criminal in Bulgarian) cabinet.

On the other hand, Delyan Peevski, head of “DPS – New Beginning,” dismissed the attempt and reaffirmed his support for the government’s full term. “There will be elections when the four years are up,” he told reporters. Peevski urged all parties to put an end to the political theatrics and focus on governance: “Everyone needs to wake up and stop wasting time. We have to do the work we were sent here to do.”