site.btaDemocracy, Rights and Freedoms Will Not Support No-Confidence Motion against Rosen Zhelyazkov’s Government, Says MP Taner Ali

The parliamentary group of Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF) will not support the no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, DRF MP Taner Ali said during the debates on the matter in the National Assembly. "We will not support this no-confidence motion against the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov, especially with these motives, at this moment. The government can be criticized for many actions or inactions, but when it comes to Prime Minister Zhelyazkov’s positions and his communications with Euro-Atlantic institutions, we support him," Ali explained.

The motion was submitted by the Vazrazhdane parliamentary group under the pretext that the government had failed in its foreign policy. The motion is supported by the signatures of 54 MPs from MECh, Velichie, and Vazrazhdane.

On April 1, DRF announced that they would not support the no-confidence vote. During Wednesday’s debate, Ali added that maintaining a balanced yet firm course in upholding Bulgaria’s principled positions and commitments deserves trust. "Euroscepticism as the driving factor behind the reasons uniting the parties that submitted the no-confidence motion against Rosen Zhelyazkov’s government contradicts our long-standing political efforts to ensure our country’s successful European perspective […] Any attempts to alter this strategic direction for our country are incompatible with our understanding of statesmanship and political conduct," Ali further stressed.

He recalled that the DRF parliamentary group had been invited by the chair of the GERB-UDF parliamentary group to join the agreement for forming a parliamentary majority to elect a government for joint governance. He noted that this invitation came at the last possible moment before President Radev handed over the mandate.