Scandal in Bulgaria's Parliament Over MEP Voting Law

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | February 14, 2007, Wednesday // 00:00

Bulgaria's Parliament became the arena of a fierce argument over the law for voting for MEPs that ended with a party stepping out of the institution altogether.

Offended by the fact that the newly-hatched law literally leaves Bulgarians in Turkey without the right to vote, ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) announced that they are leaving the Parliament for the first time in years. MRF, who are in the ruling coalition together with Simeon II National Movement and socialist Coalition for Bulgaria left their fellow MP to continue the plenary session alone after the centrists stabbed them in the back.

All MPs from SIINM voted in favor of only allowing votes by people who have lived in Bulgaria or another EU country member in for three months prior to the vote. Some of the socialist also nodded the law and together with votes from the opposition the new law was passed much to the disappointment of the Turks.

We have spent 7 years being the party of participation, now, you can do fine on your own, MRF said, addressing mainly SIINM.

The opposition greeted the law with applause.

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