site.btaUPDATED Youth Chapter of Movement for Rights and Freedoms Discusses Party's Unity, Reaffirms Dogan's Leadership

Ibraim Zaydenov, Chair of Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), said young people in the party had never questioned the leadership of Honorary Chairman Ahmed Dogan. He talked to reporters after a regular meeting of the regional chairpersons of Youth MRF chapters across the country on Saturday.

He called the meeting "very productive", adding that it focused on the party's unity and the leadership of what he said is "the only MRF leader, the Honorary Chairman, Dr Ahmed Dogan".

Asked how the MRF will solve its problems, Zaydenov said Dr Dogan had "spelled out the steps in his address".

"It's an obstacle we have to overcome, a challenge we have to deal with, " stated Ahmed Dogan to Ibraim Zaydenov in his first public appearance after the split in the MRF parliamentary group. Dogan's words to the MRF Youth Movement were livestreamed in a video published on the MRF Facebook.

Dogan addressed the youth and told them that they themselves proposed the solution and outlined the strategy for the development of MRF over time, and thanked them for that.

On July 10, Dogan called in a letter for the resignations of MRF Floor Leader Delyan Peevski, who is one of the party's two chairmen, and five more ranking members. A day later, the MRF parliamentary group expelled 17 MPs, including the other Chair Dzhevdet Chakarov, which further deepened the rift within the party.

Since then, more MPs have quit the parliamentary group, leaving it with 22 MPs out of the original 47 in the 240-seat Parliament. As a result, the second largest group now ranks fourth, after Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and Vazrazhdane.