The government survived second vote of no confidence

The Cabinet of Rosen Zhelyazkov survived a no-confidence vote on April 17. This is the second vote of no confidence over the past two weeks.

The motion was submitted by the MECH (Morality, Unity, Honour) party, with the backing of Vazrazhdane and Velichie, citing the government's failure to effectively combat corruption as the main reason.

During the first round of voting, 71 Members of Parliament supported the motion, while 131 voted against it. There were no abstentions.

A second round of voting followed, resulting in 130 MPs voting against the government's dismissal, and 72 in favour. Once again, there were no abstentions.

The government was supported by GERB-UDF, MRF – New Beginning, BSP – United Left, There Is Such a People. The votes against the government came from Vazrazhdane, MECh, Velichie and Democracy, Rights and Freedoms. We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria did not vote.

The next parliamentary sitting will be extraordinary and will be held on April 29, instead of May 2. This was announced by the Speaker of Parliament, Nataliya Kiselova, before closing the sitting.

The first no confidence vote was over the Cabinet's foreign policy and was tabled by Vazrazhdane with support from Velichie and MECh. It was voted down on April 3.

Photos by Dessislava Kulelieva