Conspiracy theories and carping after Bulgaria’s election result recalculation
Conspiracy theories and recriminations have followed the March 13 ruling by Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court that resulted in a reallocation of seats in the National Assembly elected in October last year.
As The Sofia Globe reported, the Constitutional Court ruled on March 13 to partially invalidate the results of the October 2024 parliamentary election results, naming 16 MPs whose election was overruled, and ordering the Central Election Commission (CEC) to announce an updated seat distribution in the 51st National Assembly.
Several hours later, the CEC announced the adjusted distribution of seats in the National Assembly.
At the start of the March 14 sitting of the National Assembly, Speaker Nataliya Kiselova formally announced the Constitutional Court’s decision about the 16 who were no longer MPs, and the first batch of new MPs were sworn in, with the remainder expected to take the oath next week.
But the morning’s formalities were overshadowed by comments from political leaders.
Boiko Borissov, whose GERB-UDF group shed three members, while remaining the largest in Parliament, saw a conspiracy in the Constitutional Court, supposedly under the influence of President Roumen Radev.
“And they robbed us. And here President Radev cannot continue with his hypocrisy, because his constitutional judges did all this,” Borissov said.
In reality, Borissov’s comments did not acknowledge the fact that the decision by the Court was unanimous, meaning that it was supported by judges in addition to those appointed by the head of state, including those with a GERB-UDF background.
Borissov said that Ivelin Mihailov, whose Velichie will now enter Parliament to become its ninth and smallest group, had announced that he was entering Parliament to overthrow the government.
The GERB-UDF leader said that “not without Delyan Peevski neither can we adopt a Budger, nor can any decisions be made” – a reference to the Magnitsky Act-sanctioned leader of a Movement for Rights and Freecoms faction that is not part of the declared ruling majority.
“The other option is to go to elections. It would be a great betrayal,” Borissov said.
Asked if new elections were in the offing, Borissov said that if the government falls, Bulgaria would lose any chance of entering the euro zone.
“That’s why I called it a conspiracy – a strong word, but it puts the regular government at risk.”
Ivailo Mirchev, an MP for Parliament’s second-largest group, We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, said that if there was a conspiracy, it was between Peevski and Radev.
“Boiko Borissov said a while ago that there is a conspiracy. If there is a conspiracy for destabilisation, it is between Delyan Peevski and President Roumen Radev, with the role for Vuzrazhdane,” Mirchev said, referring to the pro-Russian minority party that is Parliament’s third-largest group.
Mirchev said: “These are the ones who want Bulgaria not to enter the euro zone, so that it can remain in the grey sphere of influence, so that Peevski and Radev can be the strongest there. This is the power of Russia and the Kremlin”.
Peevski proclaimed himself the guardian of order in the country, telling reporters that he will protect Bulgaria from a coup and that he will not allow the country to be pushed around.
“There will be no coups, there will be Bulgaria, the people will have finances, the budget will pass, I will protect the country, there will be good things for the people,” Peevski said.
On March 13, Vuzrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said that it was Peevski who was behind Velichie entering Parliament.
“Velichie is owned by Peevski and he is trying to get them in so that he has another party in Parliament, because currently he has two MRFs – New Beginning (the name of Peevski’s group) and BSP (the Bulgarian Socialist Party – United Left),” Kostadinov said.
Mihailov alleged to bTV on March 14 that he had been offered millions of leva by “ambassadors” from Borissov and Peevski to either resign from Parliament or side with the two groups.
Constitutional Court president Pavlina Panova told Nova Televizia on March 14 that copies of the Court’s decision had been sent to all interested parties, including acting Prosecutor-General Borislav Sarafov.
The document had been sent to Sarafov because of the presence of evidence of a crime, Panova said, adding that it was up to the prosecutor’s office to decide whether and what investigation it would undertake.
Constitutional Court judge Yanaki Stoilov told bTV on March 14 that “right from the very beginning” he had said that once the Court had decided the case, it should send the data to prosecutors.
(Photo: parliament.bg)
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