15 Aug 2011

Bulgarian Party Claims Governing Party “Bought”” Former Mps”

3 MPs from the Bulgarian nationalist party Ataka (pictured here) denied that they had received funding from ruling center-right party, GERB, in exchange for abandoning their former party. The 3 Bulgarian MPs left the Ataka party in mid-May in protest over Ataka activists and MPs clashing with Muslims who were praying in a Sofia Mosque.

After they left the party, accusations began to fly, starting with Volen Siderov, the Ataka party leader, that GERB had used state money that was slated to be given to subsidize Ataka for their 2009 electoral achievements. While the three MPs claimed that they and other MPs were made dependent upon the various political parties through various means, other Bulgarian parties joined the chorus questioning the system of party finance in Bulgaria.

GERB party officials have thus far denied the allegations but have neither accepted nor rejected calls for a formal check into the scandal.

For theoriginal story from Novinite.com, please click here. Please note that the photo also comes courtesy of the Novinite.com article and is credited to BGNES.