Dogan spoke at a traditional New Year’s party in his palace, called by the press “sarai”. His message was published on the DPS website.
At the EU summit on 15 December, Borissov shoot in all directions, accusing the President Rumen Radev, and the two main opposition forces BSP and DPS of trying to put down his cabinet during the Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU.
Bulgarian EU presidency becomes internal politics battlefield
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Kornelia Ninova announced in November that her force will start talks with the parliamentary groups of the Movement of Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and of Volya, the groups of maverick businessman Vesselin Mareshki, for a no-confidence vote in the Borisov cabinet. BSP proposes that the vote, to be held on 17 January, would be over corruption.
Analyse this: Borissov blames opposition for ‘untimely’ no-confidence vote
Dogan said that the prepared vote’s aim was not to put down the government, but to serve as a corrective and re-direct it toward more positive deeds. In what appears to be an offense to BSP, he also said that if the government would fall, there was no opposition force capable of assuming the responsibility of running the country.
The upcoming Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU will put the country in the focus of the international attention and it’s a matter of common social and political responsibility for political players to communicate in a European way, he stated.
He also said it was the duty of the civil society and of all political parties to ensure the security and the stability of the country.
Dogan also has a message to the media to show restraint during the Presidency. “You can discuss later the link between the freedom of speech and the responsibility of speech”, he is quoted as saying.
Perhaps the most surprising part is Dogan’s positive assessment of the United Patriots as members of the coalition.
Following the early parliamentary elections on 26 March Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov was only able to cobble a government with the nationalists, called officially “United Patriots”.
Nationalists in Bulgaria’s cabinet: What risks for the Presidency?
Dogan is widely perceived to be much closer to Borissov that his opposition role presumes. Delyan Peevski, considered by many as one of the most powerful people in the country, and the media of which support Borissov and badmouth his enemies, is an MP from DPS.
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