site.bta MRF Leader Chakarov Says Fellow Leader Peevski "Stole MRF Brand for Upcoming Snap Parliamentary Elections with Help from Supreme Administrative Court"

Dzhevdet Chakarov, one of two chairmen of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), said Wednesday that fellow chairman Delyan Peevski "stole the MRF brand with help from the Supreme Administrative Court in the role of instrument of the captured state". Chakarov was speaking at a news conference in the MRF headquarters after it transpired that the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) has annulled as unlawful the refusal of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to register a coalition formed by the Peevski-led faction of MRF, for participation in the snap parliamentary elections on October 27, the court said on Wednesday.

"Today's decision of the Supreme Administrative Court is the highest point in Peevski's actions of using all possible institutions to achieve personal goals. The SAC decision, which contradicts a number of legal norms, is a clear symbol of the collapse of statehood. Just as 40 years ago the totalitarian government stole the names of Bulgarian Turks and Muslims with the intention of stealing their identity," Chakarov said referring to the campaign of forcible assimilation of ethnic Turks in the 1980s, when they were ordered to adopt Christian names in place of their Muslim names. 

Chakarov assured the attending reporters that "the real MRF of Ahmed Dogan", the party's founder and Honorary Chair, will run in the upcoming elections.

"Everybody will have a chance to back MRF of Dr. Ahmed Dogan, to back the principles, ideas and ideology of our party, which is been in Bulgaria's political life for over 30 years now," Chakarov said.

He said he does not want to comment the Court's ruling but said nonetheless that "all legal norms have been violated". "We are considering ways to challenge the ruling," Chakarov said.

According to Paragraph 3 of Article 58 of the Election Code, the decisions of the Supreme Administrative Court are not appealable.