“We should be united. I urge Dr Ahmed Dogan for consolidation of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). It will be unforgivable for both of us if the party splits over a Dogan-Peevski division. We both have a responsibility to prevent that,” MRF chairman Delyan Peevski told journalists on Monday after a meeting with the party’s regional leaders.
Peevski said that they had been pressured not to attend Monday’s meeting in Sofia.
“Our colleagues have been put under enormous pressure recently, they have been threatened. Everyone who has been pressured will file a complaint with the Interior Ministry,” said Peevski. He was adamant that this pressure cannot continue and the party cannot split because of a few people.
Hamdi Iliyazov, chairman of MRF’s regional organization in Targovishte, said that their organization stands for unity between chairman Peevski and honorary leader Dogan. “The only problem we had was Jeyhan Ibryamov, who wanted to break up our organization and now wants to break up the whole MRF,” he added.
Of the meeting Peevski said that his colleagues from the regional organizations have called for unity between Dogan and him so the party can be one whole. “No one can afford a few feudal lords to break it because of their ambitions. Our colleagues don’t accept that and call on us to be together. And I hope that we’ll be together because the MRF is the second largest party in Parliament with 47 MPs and no one can afford to break this,” Peevski added.
“I am ready to be together and I want to be together and for the MRF to go ahead united and not as media reports describe it as two MRFs, of Dogan and Peevski. This should not happen,” said Peevski. He said that he hadn’t talked with MRF’s honorary chairman Dogan. “I have done everything, now it is up to him. Everyone had been pressured and threatened not to come today,” he added.
Peevski said that MRF’s other chairman, Dzhevdet Chakarov, too has called fellow party members not to come. “I called him about the meeting and everyone was invited. They wanted collective bodies to work and now they are working,” said Peevski. He said the collective bodies work by the party’s statute.
Of the second government forming mandate Peevski said that the parliamentary group should decide who will accept it. “Our fellow party members urged us to form a cabinet on the second mandate, just as they did on the first mandate and I can’t believe that this is happening at the last minute,” said Peevski. “We’ll communicate with the parties whether they are ready to back the second mandate. We won’t be playing games. If we see that there is a chance of a majority, we’ll accept the mandate and go ahead,” he added.
“I can take the mandate with the prime minister-designate. I won’t be a candidate for prime minister but first let us finish with the consultations,” said Peevski, replying who will take the mandate.
“A government can be formed on any mandate. I know one thing – that the Bulgarian citizens want a government. I want a government and I showed it with the first mandate. Our regional organizations advised us to continue with efforts to form a government and I hear that clearly. We’ll consult the other parties whether this is possible,” he added.
Peevski said that the MRF parliamentary group will meet on Tuesday in Parliament.
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