site.btaUPDATED Movement for Rights and Freedoms Holds Extraordinary National Conference

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) is holding an extraordinary national conference at Sofia's NDK convention centre on Sunday. On the agenda are nominations and election of a new MRF Chair and Central Council head, changes in the MRF Charpter, and adoption of decisions revoking previous ones by party bodies - all to be discussed behind closed doors. One of the changes expected to be made is the abolition of the figure of Honorary Chairman.

Within the open-door part of the conference, there was a report on the formation's work since the 11th National Conference in February. 

Among the guests were representatives of diplomatic missions in Bulgaria, the Turkish President's party, the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, and branch organizations.

The extraordinary national conference was convened by Peevski back in October. At the time, he said the meeting was prompted by "the self-exclusion from the ranks of the MRF of members at different levels of the party structure, after these persons were activists, candidates and elected to the National Assembly on the list of the agrarian coalition Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF), replacing the will of the members of the MRF for the unity and integrity of the party." 

BTA recalls that members of the MRF who declared their loyalty to the MRF Honorary Chairman and founder Ahmed Dogan left or were expelled from the MRF parliamentary group in the 50th National Assembly, including co-floor leader Dzhevdet Chakarov. The parliamentary group remained under the leadership of the other MRF co-floor leader, Delyan Peevski. He and Chakarov had been elected co-leaders at the last regular MRF National Conference in February 2024 at Dogan's proposal. In the last snap parliamentary elections, the two fractions of the MRF run separately for Parliament, registered as Alliance for Rights and Freedoms of Dogan and Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning of Peevski. Both formations made it into the 51st National Assembly and formed the parliamentary groups of Democracy for Rights and Freedoms (DRF) and Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning, respectively.

At the beginning of Sunday's conference, the anthems of Bulgaria and the European Union were played. Paralympic gold medallist in shot put Ruzhdi Ruzhdi congratulated the forum and thanked MRF leader Delyan Peevski for his support.

Reporting on the MRF's work, Halil Letifov MP of MRF - New Beginning said: "Our structures are in a good organizational condition, the goal is to unite people under the umbrella of the MRF, to expand our structures." He also noted the split in the MRF, despite the efforts, according to him, of Chairman Delyan Peevski to avoid this.

"In the last elections, MRF - New Beginning achieved over 280,000 votes, all structures coped with the tasks set, especially in the traditional regions for the Movement, in an election campaign in which our opponents used lies, manipulations and compromises," Letifov underscored. Despite the attempts to stop the new beginning in the MRF, the structures showed that it is already a fact, and to date the formation has built structures in all municipalities, Letifov said.

Hamid Hamid, MP of MRF - New Beginning, noted that the group has always had a decisive voice in the adoption of the most important bills, among which he singled out the 2024 State Budget Act. The MRF group was the main pillar of all the acts of the Bulgarian National Assembly, and to this day it is the driver of the support for Ukraine, Hamid underscored. 

Yordan Tsonev presented the work done by MRF in the 49th and 50th National Assembly for municipalities, with an emphasis on the national capital programme for municipalities. According to him, this programme is a precedent in budgeting. "In the next budgets our parliamentary group will firmly defend the continuation of the municipal investment programme," Tsonev said.

Bayram Bayram put an emphasis on on the care for religious denominations.

Stanislav Anastasov reported on the work of the MRF's Members of the European Parliament. Addresses to the National Conference were read by Bulgarian MEPs  from the Renew Europe group.

After the reports and greetings, the closed-doors part of the conference began.