Bulgarian Parliament Session Halted Amid Row Over UN Fiasco

The Vice-President of the Bulgarian parliament, Dimitar Glavchev, cancelled the parliamentary session on Friday, after a row erupted between members of the ruling party, Boyko Borissov's GERB, and the main opposition group, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP.

The situation escalated after BSP leader Korneliya Ninova read out a declaration, criticizing the government for Bulgaria's defeat in the race for the UN top job and its policy on migration.

"Do not let this government keep on taking our dignity away from us and wiping out our nationality. Bulgarians, whatever you are - red, blue [the colours of the main parties], or neutral, the time has come to be Bulgarians, do not give up on Bulgaria," Ninova declared.

Her declaration was followed by shouts of "Resign!" by her fellow Socialist MPs, who later raised an anti-GERB poster in the plenary hall.

In response, Georg Georgiev, an MP from GERB, called the BSP parliamentarians "liars".

The tension between GERB and the BSP escalated after Borissov's government withdrew its nomination for UNESCO chief Irina Bokova, as the next UN Secretary General.

She had strong backing from the Socialists but was replaced by the Vice-President of the European Commission, Kristalina Georgieva, on September 28.

After Georgieva failed to attract the expected level of support at the sixth informal vote for the next UN Secretary General on Wednesday, when she finished in eighth position, performing worse than Bokova, who came fourth, the BSP started a campaign to bring down the government.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Borissov fuelled tensions by calling Bokova "arrogant" for not withdrawing from the UN race and accused her of blocking Georgieva's state-supported candidacy.

He...

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