site.btaMRF Deputy Chair Ibryamov: Meeting with Honorary Chairman Dogan Did Not Discuss Whether to Demand Delyan Peevski's Resignation

In an interview on Bulgarian National Television on Sunday, Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Deputy Chair Dzheyhan Ibryamov commented that the participants in Saturday's meeting with MRF Honorary Chairman Ahmed Dogan did not discuss whether to demand the resignation of MRF Chairman Delyan Peevski. In Ibryamov's words, the MRF is an inseparable unified party, its founder is Ahmed Dogan, its sole leader is Ahmed Dogan, and all party structures back him.

The overcoming of the tension in the party is entirely in Dogan's hands, Ibryamov went on to say. The party has to hold a sitting and adopt a decision on how to approach the second exploratory mandate for the formation of a regular government. "If the dialogue between parties and politicians is restored along with the view that there should be care for the people, the State's policies and development, I personally believe that there could be a government, which is a very good idea, with the second mandate," he commented.

Every single flaking of MPs from the parliamentary groups leads to nothing good, Ibryamov said further.

Ibryamov is one out of three MPs of MRF expelled from the parliamentary group since the 50th National Assembly began working.

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 under the first exploratory mandate, 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.