site.btaMRF Honorary Chairman Dogan Meets with Party Members

The Honorary Chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), Ahmed Dogan, Saturday held a meeting with party members at his residence in Rossenets Park near Burgas (on the Black Sea). Among the participants in the meeting were one of the MRF chairmen, Dzhevdet Chakarov, and some of the MPs who on July 3 voted against the election of GERB-UDF's Rosen Zhelyazkov for prime minister.

Emerging from the meeting, Chakarov told journalists that the MRF is not functioning properly and needs to return to normality. "An address by our Honorary Chairman is expected shortly. Our collective bodies are not functioning and this cannot continue any longer," said Chakarov. He said there must be stability in the country and all possible efforts should be made to form a government.

"We had an in-depth meeting with our Honorary Chairman. The political situation in the country was discussed. We also discussed the situation within our political force and within our parliamentary group," Chakarov also said. 

It is evident that the situation has its dimensions in view of the accumulated tension, he noted. "What we discussed at the meeting is that the MRF is not functioning in its normal form and content. It needs to return to normality in terms of functioning. We mean the authentic MRF - with the functioning of the collective bodies, dialogue, vision, discussion of decisions that arise from the collective bodies, in accordance with the norms in our statutes," Chakarov explained. 

"The decision of all colleagues is that there is no turning back and we must restore normality," he said. We have repeatedly said that the collective bodies do not function, there is no discussion, no decision-making. We believe in the potential of the MRF. We expect positive steps and decisions from the people who have supported us in the country, and in Turkiye, and in Europe," Chakarov noted. "We are aware of our responsibilities, there should be stability in the country and all efforts should be made to form a government. If we do not succeed, we will naturally go to elections, but this is not a solution," Chakarov concluded. 

Ramadan Atalay, who was expelled from the MRF parliamentary group a few days ago, also attended the meeting with Dogan. Approached by journalists afterwards to comment whether there will be a continuation of the meetings with Ahmed Dogan with MRF Chairman Delyan Peevski on Sunday, Atalay said that these are manipulations. "I don't believe that once it has been decided that there is no turning back, there will be other meetings," said Atalay, declining to elaborate any further.

The tension within the MRF emerged after GERB-UDF's proposed cabinet lineup, with prime minister-designate Rosen Zhelyazkov and 19 ministers, was denied approval in Parliament on July 3. All GERB-UDF deputies and 30 MPs from the MRF voted in favour of the draft cabinet, while 14 MPs of MRF voted against, and one abstained. Before the vote, Ramadan Atalay of the MRF said that there is currently a rift in the relations between Delyan Peevski and Ahmed Dogan. Atalay also said there was a direct order from Dogan that the MRF parliamentary group should not support the proposed government.

Chakarov commented that it is obvious that there is a one-man rule in the MRF, which leads to tension in the parliamentary group and in the structures. He stressed that the vote that took place in Parliament for the proposed government lineup was an expression of this.

On July 4, the MPs of the MRF who voted against Zhelyazkov as prime minister, came out with an open letter addressed to Dogan. The letter stated that they are in favour of "unity and togetherness" of the MRF under the leadership of Dogan. Since the beginning of this Parliament, three MPs have been expelled from the MRF parliamentary group - Aysel Rufad, Dzheyhan Ibryamov, and Ramadan Atalay.

On July 5, Peevski said in Parliament that the issue of whether the party was disintegrating was not on the agenda.

On Saturday, the MRF's youth organization issued a statement on Facebook expressing their support for the party's Honorary Chairman Ahmed Dogan. "Bred and raised with the cause of the MRF, it is hard for us to see our party's values at stake. We will not succumb to attempts at discord and spectacle," the MRF youth oranization said. 

They also quote a statement by Dogan: "The cause of the MRF is too great to allow ourselves the luxury of fighting among ourselves and hindering the development of young people to live freer in a better world that they have the courage to build for themselves."

"In recent days, we have witnessed the drawing of dividing lines instead of calls for unity and unity. These are worrying developments for the Movement for Rights and Freedoms," the party's youth chapter added. 

The youth organisation has called for reason, cohesion and unity. "We support the unity and togetherness of the party and stand firmly behind the Honorary Chairman of the MRF, Dr Ahmed Dogan," the Facebook post reads.