site.btaNo-Confidence Vote Will Not Materialize after Vazrazhdane Refused to Back It, Velichie Leader Says

Velichie Floor Leader Ivelin Mihaylov Thursday told reporters there would be no preparations for a no-confidence vote in the government after Vazrazhdane refused to back the motion. It was backed by Velichie and MECh, which hold 21 seats together in the 240-seat Parliament.

Under the Constitution, 48 MPs, one fifth of the National Assembly, can file a no-confidence motion.

Mihaylov remarked that on his way to Parliament, he saw cherries being sold for BGN 36 per kilo. "In Bulgaria, ordinary people, who live on a salary, simply cannot make ends meet. This is the result of the state being driven to bankruptcy by [GERB leader] Boyko Borissov and [MRF-New Beginning leader] Delyan Peevski. They are running the country without any real understanding of how a society should be governed by fostering harmony and mutual understanding. People feel discriminated against, they cannot pay their bills, and all this is leading to the collapse of the entire system."

"The only chance to shake up this National Assembly is for the President to take action - he enjoys the highest level of public confidence," Mihaylov added. "I believe that if the President steps into Parliament, this will finally stir things up."

He was apparently referring to speculation that President Rumen Radev could be mulling a political project of his own.

On Wednesday, Mihaylov said Velichie had prepared a 1,244-page motion of no confidence centred on environmental management.