Minister Against Bulgaria Ethnic Turk Election Coalition

The Minister of State Administration, Nikolay Vasilev, has stated that there will be no European election coalition between the NMSP and the ethnic Turkish party DPS.

In an interview for Darik Radio in Varna, Vasliev said that he was categorically opposed to the proposed coalition between the National Movement for Stability and Progress (NMSP) and the Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS).

Vasilev said; "We will have nothing to do with DPS, as NMSP do not need the help of another party. We have won the Varna parliamentary elections twice and are very confident... we will stand alone in both parliamentary and European elections," he concluded.

The coalition proposal that the leader of the ethnic Turks, Ahmed Dogan extended to the centrist party of former tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg ignited strong emotions from both sides.

The offer was vehemently opposed by the leadership and file and rank members of the centrist NMSP, who described a coalition with Dogan as "a kiss of death".

The coalition proposal was reportedly voiced at an informal dinner of the leaders of the three coalition partners, PM Sergey Stanishev, Dogan and Saxe-Coburg, at the end of February, just before the seventh no-confidence vote against the Socialist-led cabinet.