Bulgarian Parliament rejects motion of no confidence over corruption
The motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s government, tabled by the opposition socialists on the topic of corruption, was defeated in a vote on January 25.
Borissov once again broke with tradition and was not in attendance, having also missed the five-hour debate on the motion held earlier in the week, as a vote of 131 against the motion, 103 in favour, with no abstentions, was administered.
In addition to Borissov’s GERB and the junior partners in the ruling coalition, the nationalist United Patriots group, the government was also backed by Volya, the smallest party in the current National Assembly, and the sole independent MP in the House. The votes in favour of the motion came entirely from the socialists and the predominantly ethnic Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
After the vote, the traditional speeches devolved into mutual recriminations, with the socialists accusing Borissov of diminishing Parliament’s standing with his absence, while GERB turned its ire on President Roumen Radev, saying that in his speech on the first anniversary of taking office, the head of state was the one making attempts to undermine the National Assembly.
