Bulgarian Conservatives Admit Organizing Anti-Borisov Campaign
Domestic | July 17, 2011, Sunday // 15:02| views
Atanas Semov, deputy leader of RZS, has admitted authorship of the campaign calling for Prime Minister Borisov`s resignation. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's marginal, conservative Order, Law and Justice Party, RZS, is behind the billboard and website-based campaign calling for Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to be fired.
The information was revealed Sunday, as the uvolnenie.org website, set up to collect votes for and against Borisov's staying in office, published a statement by Atanas Semov, deputy leader and presidential hopeful of RZS, EU law expert and vice chair of the Bulgarian Parliament.
RZS declared its support for Semov's presidential bid on June 19. Yane Yanev, leader of the party and a regular whistleblower, was also among RZS's possible Presidential nominees.
"Instead of destroying us, the ruling party's attacks against us have made us stronger," the party's leader, Yane Yanev, declared after Semov was elected. He referred to the relations between RZS and the ruling centrist-right GERB.
While the conservative marginal RZS initially supported GERB when it took over in 2009, it soon moved to become its vocal opposition.
The formation is believed to be the mouthpiece of notorious former National State Security Service agent and alleged mafia boss, Alexei Pertov, who announced he was running for President already in 2010, but recently claimed he was withdrawing from the race.
It was RZS and the Galeria tabloid, also believed to be tied with Petrov, who recently distributed allegedly recorded phone conversations, discrediting high GERB officials, including Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.
After stating his reasons for demanding Borisov's resignation, Semov pledges to single-handedly oust the Prime Minister from his post if he is elected President.
"On the very first day of my presidential tenure, I will submit a draft bill proposing constitutional amendments, which will cause the Parliament to dissolve and necessitate elections for a Grand National Assembly. I will impose a referendum on a new Constitution and if the Parliament refuses to stick to its obligations, I will urge citizens to support me in forcing this embattled government to resign", Semov vows in his address.
He also promises to guarantee the stability of the country and to introduce a new economic doctrine.
Billboards saying "I will fire Boyko Borisov!" popped up at the exits of the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Monday, with most of them having been cleared by Tuesday.
At the same time, the uvolnenie.org website, launched Tuesday, also drummed up support for Borisov's forced withdrawal.
RZS leader Yane Yanev, known for the large number of billboards promoting him before the 2009 general elections, denied involvement in the campaign in a statement last week.
The organizers of the campaign are to hold a press conference on the matter.
Tags: GERB, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Yane Yanev, RZS, Atanas Semov, Referendum, Grand national assembly, constitutional amendments
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