Bulgarian government got no confidence vote

The Bulgarian government has fallen after a vote of confidence in Parliament. Members of the opposition put a motion of no confidence to the vote, which made it 123 to 116. The government was only in the saddle for six months.

According to the opposition, the government of pro-European prime minister Petkov has done too little to address inflation and other economic problems in the country. One of Petkov’s coalition partners, the ITN party, withdrew support earlier this month, leading to the motion of no confidence. It was submitted by the GERB party of the Conservative former prime minister Borisov, who led the country for ten years.

Whether there will be another election is still unclear. Petkov will still have a chance to form a new government, like two other parties. Otherwise, it is up to president Radev to call new elections within two months. This is the fourth time the country has gone to the polls since april.

“We promise that there will come a day when Bulgaria will be a successful, prosperous, European country, without mafia,” Peskov said after the vote on the motion of no confidence. He promised his supporters to continue to carry out reforms.

Bulgaria is one of the poorest member states of the European Union. The fall of the government also puts European funds at risk, as does Bulgaria’s accession to the euro. It is scheduled for 2024.

There was also considerable disagreement within the coalition over North Macedonia’s accession to the European Union. The government held back that accession for a long time, partly because Bulgaria wants North Macedonia to recognize its “Bulgarian roots”. But Petkov recently slammed the door to lift that veto, under pressure from the EU and NATO. Coalition partner ITN felt that Petkov did not take Bulgarian interests seriously.

Petkov, by Bulgarian standards, is very positive about the European Union and NATO. Bulgaria has had good relations with Russia in the past.