Political parties

Ljubljana – A proposal to reshuffle parliamentary working bodies to include four unaffiliated MPs who have recently defected was rejected on Tuesday after the first was voted down last week. Nevertheless, the centre-left opposition parties and the unaffiliated MPs intend to keep trying so that, they say, democracy is not undermined.

Ljubljana – Mario Fafangel, the head of the centre for communicable diseases at the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), has resigned from the team advising the government on measures to contain coronavirus, saying decisions taken are often in disagreement with the epidemiologists’ opinion and protocols.

Maya Manolova,MP of the new parliamentary party Stand Up BG! Mafiosi Out!" told bTV that the consultations with President Rumen Radev were "constructive, open, transparent and all parliamentary groups have declared their intentions in terms of supporting the formation of a stable government.

The Higher Prosecutor's Office in Jagodina in central Serbia told BIRN that it will examine claims that veteran MP and senior municipal official Dragan 'Palma' Markovic was involved in parties at which underage girls were sexually exploited.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the chair of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has continued his criticisms against the government for not being sufficiently transparent over the reserves of the Central Bank and for inconsistent explanations by the officials on the matter.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has already started to work for the new constitution in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli has said, describing it as a historic duty to crown the centennial of the Republic of Turkey while calling on the opposition parties to lend their support to this initiative.

Protesters outside the police station in Pljevlja. Photo: Facebook/Printscreen

Media reported that some protesters who gathered near the police station were singing nationalistic songs and chanting: "Serbian Sparta has been waking up, this country will not become Turkey."

The leadership of Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has backed its head Armin Laschet as the conservative bloc's candidate for chancellor in the upcoming German federal elections, dpa reported.

Political forces must learn to collaborate as well as work under challenging conditions, lawyer Nikolay Hadzhigenov of the new parliamentary party "Stand Up! Mafiosi out!" told BNT.

In his words, as the smallest force in parliament they have initiated the start of informal political talks with all opposition parties. They have not yet spoken to BSP and MRF, though.

Armin Laschet, leader of Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU), won the backing of senior party members at an internal meeting to run as the conservative candidate to succeed Angela Merkel at a September federal election, party sources said on April 20.