site.btaMPs of MRF Who Voted Against GERB-UDF's PM Nomination Call for Unity of MRF under Honorary Chairman's Leadership

The members of Parliament from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) who Wednesday voted against GERB-UDF's nomination of Rosen Zhelyazkov as prime minister, Thursday sent an open letter to MRF Honorary Chairman Ahmed Dogan calling for "unity and togetherness" of the MRF under his leadership. The open letter shared in the Facebook groups in support of Dogan is authentic, Jeyhan Ibryamov told BTA.

Ibryamov was expelled from the MRF parliamentary group earlier on Thursday. MRF started off with 46 seats in Parliament but has expelled three already - Ibryamov, Ramadan Atalay, and Aysel Rufad - over a dissent in the party ranks. On Wednesday, Ibryamov abstained in the plenary vote on GERB-UDF's prime minister nomination and thus defied the instructions of one of the two MRF chairmen, Delyan Peevski, to back the government. The other chairman, Dzhevdet Chakarov, voted against GERB-UDF's nomination and in line with the instructions of MRF Honorary Chair Dogan.

In their letter sent to Dogan, 17 MPs of the MRF note that they have complied with his instructions to not back the Zhelyazkov cabinet. In their words, there currently is "manipulation and disinformation towards the party's structures through formulaic declarations containing untenable suggestions."

Among those who have signed the letter are Chakarov, Ibryamov, and Erduan Mehmed, who earlier on Thursday submitted a declaration in Parliament insisting that his Wednesday vote be counted as "against". Expelled MPs Atalay and Rufad have not signed the open letter.