Opposition Bulgarian socialist leader: Simeonov’s resignation will not change anything
Opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Kornelia Ninova has congratulated protesting mothers of children with disabilities on the resignation of Valeri Simeonov as deputy prime minister, but said that his departure would not change anything because the situation was now different.
Ninova was speaking on November 17, a day after Simeonov – a co-leader of the United Patriots, the ultra-nationalist minority partner in government – stepped down. Simeonov resigned a month after causing national controversy with offensive comments about the protesting mothers of children with disabilities.
The big victory was not just the resignation, the big victory was the “awakened civil energy,” according to the socialist leader.
She said that people had been afraid before, but the “sense of justice prevailed over apathy”.
Ninova said that Simeonov’s resignation had been “obligatory, belated, under pressure and insincere”.
The resignation would not change anything, because the situation was different now, with people protesting over prices and incomes. She said that the government did not want to change polices, but the protests were about changing policies.
Ninova said that the BSP parliamentary group would decide on November 19 whether it would register as present in the National Assembly. Ninova’s party earlier embarked on a boycott of registration, to seek to deny Parliament a quorum, in its campaign for Simeonov’s resignation.
Since the third Boiko Borissov government came to power in May 2017, Ninova’s BSP has tabled three motions of no confidence in it. All have been defeated.
(Photo of Ninova: bsp.bg)
