Bulgaria's rightist Blue Coalition would be doomed if it decides to support the ruling centrist-right GERB in the upcoming no confidence vote this week, according to Ivan Kostov, the coalition's co-leader.

"The failure in the country's internal security is obvious and needs no arguments," Kostov said Monday, as cited by Darik radio.

It is just what the opposition has perceived as the minority GERB government's failure in internal security that is the reason behind the no confidence vote submitted in the parliament earlier Monday.

Kostov said he hoped that GERB's "failure" will secure an inflow of voters back to the Blue Coalition, as many of those who supported PM Boyko Borisov's centrist-right formation had been habitual Blue Coalition voters.

The no confidence vote over the failure in internal and home affairs of the Interior Ministry and the delay in joining the Schengen Area, originally planned for March 2011, has been initiated by the opposition, led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the centrist ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS)

The right-wing Blue Coalition, which used to back the Borisov Cabinet, has declared it will support the no confidence vote over what it regards as personal failures of Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. The conservative Order, Law and Justice Party, RZS, is also backing the vote.

The far-right, nationalist Ataka, which was GERB's strongest ally since the latter's victory in the July 2009 general elections, recently officially declared they are now against GERB. Nevertheless, the nationalists will stand on the side of the cabinet in the upcoming vote.

In order for the vote to pass, 121 Members of the Parliament (half of all 240 plus 1) have to vote for. GERB has 117 MPs. The 18 independent MPs, who left RZS, Ataka and the Blue Coalition have declared they will vote against, giving GERB the comfort of over 130 votes.

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