site.btaMovement for Rights and Freedoms Will Not Bargain Off Backing in Run-off

Movement for Rights and Freedoms Will Not Bargain Off Backing in Run-off

Sofia, November 7 (BTA) - "The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) will not enter into negotiations on support for a candidate in the second round," the party's Chairman Mustafa Karadayi told an election night news conference here on Sunday. The independent candidate that the MRF backed, Plamen Oresharski, ranked fifth in the first round according to parallel vote counts.

He pointed out that he had listened to Rumen Radev's news conference and the statement of Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov and found there "diverging signals for and expectations of voters, including messages for MRF's supporters". Karadayi commented that Borissov does not expect support from the MRF's electorate, whereas Radev called for support from all Bulgarian citizens. In his words, on the one side, the campaign will be "partisan and particized", and, on the other side, "the independent candidate calls on all Bulgarian citizens".

"Bulgarian voters declared that they expect a change and an independent presidential institution," Karadayi commented. He pointed out that the MRF supported Oresharski in a positive campaign and he performed well in the elections. "Our chapters categorically told us that they want and expect a change, and now we can see that Bulgarian voters have declared this, too," Karadayi said.

The MRF leader pointed out that Bulgarian voters backed independent candidates: of the top five, three are independents. He sees this as a sign that people expect an independent presidential institution which can be a partner but also a check and balance to the rest of the institutions, when necessary.

Regarding the MRF's demand for early parliamentary elections, Karadayi commented that the election results confirmed the Movement's political thesis that there has been a serious retreat from democratic and European values over the last two years, including in the Election Code and a number of other laws which, as he put it, "in one form or another segregate Bulgarian citizens into different categories." He was apparently referring to a recent amendment to the Election Code that limited the number of voting sections in non-EU member states to 35 per country.