Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov spoke publicly for the first time on the debate for his impeachment, referring to a "secret coalition" that would soon be revealed.

“The secret coalition will come out in the open with the debate about impeachment,” he stated, in a reference to cross-party demands for his impeachment.

“I intended not to make any statements, but the game became rough lately - I am speaking not only about the sharp, inadmissible tone,” he said, when asked to comment on the demands for his impeachment.

Parvanov remarked that the international arena was also being used for attacks on the presidential institution.

“Does anyone remember me saying even one word on an internal issue while I have been abroad?” asked the President.

“What is happening in the past few days is ridiculous from the legal and political points of view,” he added.

Parvanov stated that he could not imagine a representative of the governing party GERB claiming that he had not been to Parliament, when he had in fact addressed Parliament several times each year. He added that Parliament was a workplace for MPs, not for the President.

“What has happened is a good lesson in constitutional law for those in government,” said Parvanov. “I cannot make any guesses as to whether there will be enough votes for [my] impeachment in Parliament, and I have little interest in that.”

The President stated that the impeachment issue would become increasingly political, and more and more a debate on governing the country.

He observed that those now ruling were irritated by any different way of thinking. “They are irritated not by criticism but by the difference in opinions and the search for corrective measures,” declared Parvanov.

Relations between the President and the ruling party GERB have been strained from the time the new government was formed, but they have worsened recently, with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov making several remarks critical of the president.

Recently, GERB's allies, the rightist party Democrats for Strong Bulgaria of Ivan Kostov demanded that Parvanov be impeached if evidence was found that he was involved in violations by Bulgarian companies in the UN Oil for Food program for Iraq in the late 1990s.

At the same time, the nationalist Ataka party has demanded that Parvanov be impeached over failing to inform the Parliament of all of his actions, as stipulated by Article 14 of the Constitution.

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