'Alliance for Rights and Freedoms': It Is Practically Impossible to Form a Cabinet in this Parliament

President Rumen Radev on December 18 held talks with representatives of the parliamentary group of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF).

The consultations follow the resignation of the government led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, which stepped down under pressure from large-scale protests across the country.

Photo by BTA

“Your party withstood enormous pressure not only in parliament, but across the country as well. You are keeping your finger on the pulse of your voters,” President Rumen Radev said at the start of the meeting, before asking whether the representatives of the ARF see any remaining prospects for this Parliament under a different governing configuration.

Hairi Sadakov, Chair of the Parliamentary Group of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms:

“We were the first to state clearly, more than a year and a half ago, the establishment of the ‘Peevski model’ and the need for a response to it. We did not support the first proposed Zhelyazkov cabinet. We went through elections, which provided many answers to society.

Aware of our responsibility, we then sought to support a cabinet within the framework of the 51st National Assembly, with the idea that several critically important national priorities could be delivered. These include the eurozone and Schengen. At the same time, we had to decide what to do in order to bring this model of governing the state to an end.

The decision to withdraw from that cabinet, after having supported it, was not an easy one. This led to public speeches in town squares across the country in December, which were focused in a personal, clear and precise manner.

We are now to examine whether there is any possibility of forming a cabinet within the framework of the 51st National Assembly. Our view is that, in practical terms, it is impossible to form a government in this parliament. More than 130 members of this assembly formed and supported that government, and they have been challenged by society as legitimate representatives for a cabinet in this National Assembly. In practical terms, the formation of a cabinet in the 51st National Assembly is impossible.”