site.btaParliament Debates No-Confidence Motion against Zhelyazkov Cabinet

On April 2, 2025, Parliament debated the first motion of no confidence submitted to the chamber against the government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, sworn in on January 16.

The motion was submitted by the Vazrazhdane parliamentary group over the government’s foreign policy, with the support of 54 MPs from Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh), Velichie, and Vazrazhdane. The debate in Parliament on Wednesday lasted for four hours.

The actual voting procedure against the Zhelyazkov Cabinet will be held on Thursday, April 3, at 1:45 p.m., Parliament Deputy Chair and BSP - United Left Floor Leader Dragomir Stoynev said after the discussion on the topic was closed on Wednesday. According to the rules, the vote must be held no earlier than 24 hours after the end of the debate.

During the debate, in addition to GERB-UDF, BSP-United Left and There is Such a People, the ruling majority received parliamentary support from Democracy, Rights and Freedoms MPs. Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning said Euro-Atlantic values ​​and Bulgaria’s development path were among the motives for supporting the government.

The MPs of the three political forces that submitted the motion on March 26, presented their arguments in favor of the vote of no-confidence. After the debate, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov speaking to reporters, said that every no-confidence vote is a double stress test - both for the government, whether the ruling majority behind it will stand, and for the opposition, whether it will be able to bring down this government. Kostadinov added that his party would begin negotiations on collecting signatures for another vote of no confidence against the government on the issue of corruption.

Before the no-confidence debate GERB leader Boyko Borissov told reporters that the government's foreign policy was hardly a problem right now. The Cabinet of Rosen Zhelyazkov and GERB as a party prioritize "firm European support, with the Euro-Atlantic partners and joint projects in the defence industry", said Borissov. GERB-UDF sets two conditions for governance: entry in the eurozone and working on the Recovery and Resilience Plan. "Anyone who is in favour of these two things can support them in Parliament," said Borissov.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov speaking Wednesday at the beginning of the government's weekly meeting said he sees the no-confidence motion against his Cabinet as "some kind of attempt to sow discord between the parties in the ruling coalition". The Prime Minister pointed out that the government is much more resilient, so as not to be misled by the motives and subject of the debate.

Vice President Iliana Iotova told journalists on Wednesday that she expects a discussion on three important issues related to the country's foreign policy during the debate. The continuation of the country’s participation in the Coalition of the Willing, the use of funds from the Cohesion Fund for the new initiative of the EC for arms production and rearmament, and Bulgaria's position on the strategic approach to the Black Sea, expected to be presented by the Commission on May 28.

Before the debate on the vote, representatives of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) announced CC-DB's decision to leave the plenary during the motion of no confidence. Co-Floor Leader Nadejda Iordanova said that pro-Russian parties are wasting plenary time to the detriment of Bulgaria's national interest. The other CC-DB Co-Floor Leader, Nikolay Denkov, said that when the time was right, CC-DB would present the arguments for a no-confidence motion based on the problems with the budget and the struggles with the fight against corruption.

Addressing the debate, Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said the motion of no confidence in the Rosen Zhelyazkov government was most likely dictated by goodwill, as a way of seeking the truth, the best course for Bulgaria. "Foreign policy is a matter in which national consensus and unity are needed because this is how the state projects strength, stability and authority," Georgiev said. "Through all the decisions made over the years, Bulgaria has positioned itself as a respected and authoritative country. Bulgaria is a country leading and generating processes, rather than just agreeing and submitting," the Foreign Minister said.

During the debate, Toma Bikov, GERB-UDF MP, urged CC-DB to return and vote against the motion, because, he said, the no-confidence proposal is aimed to stop Bulgaria's full integration into the European Union and perhaps even to start a process of taking Bulgaria out of the European family altogether. "We see that those who are against Bulgaria's EU membership are able to unite, but we, who are in favour of Bulgaria's EU membership, are obviously unable to do it, which, incidentally, is the bigger risk for the European perspective of Bulgaria." Bikov noted that Bulgaria's European perspective is a fact thanks to the nation's efforts, not the efforts of the West.

The national interest of Bulgaria is for the country to be in the European Union and to be part of the eurozone, said Continue the Change Co-Chair Assen Vassilev during the debates on the vote. He emphasized that the party cannot support a vote of no confidence that is about Bulgaria's foreign policy, specifically about determining Bulgaria's direction towards more EU integration or outside of the EU. Vassilev added that his party would ask for a vote of no confidence, the moment Bulgaria receives a date for joining the eurozone because of the government’s economic policy and the covering up of corrupt practices, which is harmful to the development of Bulgaria.

Atanas Atanasov, MP of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria said that “It is clear that those who defend the motives of this no-confidence vote are siding with the aggressor Russia. Let us be clear where Bulgaria stands - Bulgaria stands on its European path, which was chosen by our revolutionaries before liberation.” “Bulgaria is a relatively small country with limited resources and our membership in the richest union in the world is really a guarantee for our national security,” he added.

Addressing the debate, Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) – New Beginning MP Stanislav Anastassov said that the parliamentary parties that submitted the no-confidence motion "are serving a foreign geopolitical doctrine". "Unlike our colleagues who submitted the motion, and from whose speeches we understand that they seem to have some inferiority complex about servitude and subordination, we from MRF – New Beginning have the confidence that we can actively participate in shaping these common foreign policies," Anastassov said.

In the debate, Gabriel Valkov, BSP-United Left MP, said Bulgaria needs a balanced foreign policy, economic growth and social security for its citizens. Valkov said those three priorities can be achieved by maintaining a balance between East and West, engaging in dialogue with all parties, and trading with the whole world on the best possible terms for Bulgaria and its citizens. Bulgaria's place is in the EU, while at the same time it should engage in dialogue and trade with Russia, the US, China and the rest of the world.

The parliamentary group of Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF) will not support the no-confidence motion against the government, DRF MP Taner Ali said during the debate. "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. Euroscepticism is the driving factor behind the reasons uniting the parties that submitted the no-confidence motion, but any attempts to alter the country’s strategic direction, its European perspective, are incompatible with our understanding of statesmanship and political conduct, DRF MP said.

According to There Is Such a People (TISP) Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov, a debate on foreign policy is not about a civilizational choice because the eurozone is not a civilizational choice. "A civilizational choice is to be part of the European Union," he added. Vazrazhdane’s stance on foreign policy and the European Union is "political schizophrenia", as they have both read a declaration in Parliament advocating Bulgaria's exit from the EU and at the same time participated in European elections, secured seats in the European Parliament, and even attacked the EU’s representation in Bulgaria, Yordanov said.

During the debate, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said that his party demands the Cabinet's immediate resignation and a return to a foreign policy based on the national interest, sovereignty, the pursuit of prosperity for the Bulgarian people and on support for any peaceful initiative in the international arena. The leader of Vazrazhdane said that Bulgaria should have reacted more strongly about the death of Bulgarian UN employee Capitan Marin Marinov and demanded an investigation in order to defend its dignity. Kostadinov proceeded to criticize the government for agreeing with the newly formed EU's proposals to impose new sanctions against Russia.

Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) leader Radostin Vasilev said during the debate that his party does not want to have Bulgaria leave the EU or NATO but wants to defend a nationally responsible position in these alliances. "We will vote against this government. I hope that we, Vazrazhdane and Velichie, are united by the absolute unconditional wish that GERB and its courtiers never rule Bulgaria. There is no stronger position for MECh than that, and we would back a vote of no confidence on any subject," Vasilev said.

Velichie (Grandeur) party leader Ivelin Mihaylov said during the debate that the motion of no-confidence against the government is neither pro-Euro-Atlantic nor pro-Russian. "It is a motion against people who have no way of implementing a strong foreign policy in the absence of a strong domestic policy."