The Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, alongside the European ALDE party, has called for the expulsion of Delyan Peevski's Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) from both organizations. This announcement followed Peevski's election as the sole leader of the DPS during an extraordinary conference held on Sunday. Peevski, who has been sanctioned by the US and UK for corruption, is at the center of a conflict within the party, particularly with honorary chairman Ahmed Dogan. Dogan's faction, which opposes Peevski's leadership, has called the conference and its decisions illegitimate and plans to challenge them in court.

The ALDE and Renew Europe parties cited the sanctions imposed on Peevski as the primary reason for their call to expel the DPS. In their statement, ALDE referred to Peevski as a controversial figure whose actions are detrimental to democratic principles and stability in Bulgaria. The party highlighted his involvement in large-scale corruption, which led to the sanctions under the global Magnitsky Act. Although ALDE had not previously taken a firm stance on the matter, the recent developments prompted the party to act, particularly after Peevski was confirmed as the sole chairman of DPS.

Shortly after ALDE's announcement, the Renew Europe presidency also expressed its support for the move, emphasizing that Peevski's actions were harmful to the values upheld by the European liberal family. The Renew Europe group, which includes MEPs from the We Continue the Change (WCC) party, unanimously recommended terminating DPS's membership. The WCC welcomed the decision, with co-chairman Kiril Petkov expressing pride that the liberal family had maintained its principles by distancing itself from Peevski, given his sanctions.

The decisions were made in the aftermath of the DPS conference, which also saw the abolition of the honorary chairman position held by Dogan. Dogan’s faction, which remains loyal to him, has vowed to contest the conference results in court. The legal dispute between Peevski’s and Dogan’s factions has been ongoing, with the Sofia City Court recently ruling against the expulsion of Peevski, a decision that was later rejected by the court.

The Renew Europe Bureau will convene today to discuss the expulsion further, with a final vote scheduled for January 14. The outcome of the vote will likely determine whether DPS will officially be removed from the European liberal groups.

Sources:

• Radio Free Europe Bulgaria
• Facebook