ESD 17:12:01 23-05-2021
VE1711ES.102
102 POLITICS - COALITION - RISE UP! THUGS OUT!

Rise Up! Thugs Out! Renews
Coalition
Agreement


Sofia, May 23 (BTA) - The three partners in the Rise Up! Thugs Out! coalition renewed their agreement and will be running together in the July 11 early general elections. Maya Manolova, the former national ombudsman who leads one of the partners in the coalition, the IzpraviSe.bg platform, said Sunday that they have signed a coalition agreement with the Toxic Trio and Movement 21 of Tatyana Doncheva.

There used to be some intrigue about the future of this coalition because Movement 21 was a desired partner for the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) as well. Remarks by BSP leader Kornelia Ninova created the impression that her party's future partnership with Tatyana Doncheva's movement was certain to materialize.

Doncheva is a former high-ranking BSP member, and so is Manolova.

"We will keep our present format," Manolova said. "It is a winning team which will continue to work for the citizens' trust during the forthcoming elections. We have reaffirmed our priorities: definitive dismantling of the corrupt mafia-style model, restoring democracy, justice and the rule of law, raising the incomes of Bulgarian citizens, ensuring free business competition, updating pensions, and having a clean and green Bulgaria."

Manolova sees growing voter confidence in Rise Up! Thugs Out!, which she thinks is evidenced by opinion polls.

Citizens' representatives will make up 70 per cent of the candidates on the coalition's lists for the upcoming elections, and political nominees will be 30 per cent, Manolova said.

Commenting on her talks with BSP, Doncheva said she does not think that "anyone has taken deliberate steps to blow up any political formation." Doncheva went on to say: "This is competition. Competition exists in every contest, including elections. We can raise no hurdles for the other political entities. The negotiations were fair, everyone who had to know about them knew about them, and I think the final decision corresponds to the current needs."

Doncheva further commented: "There is no broad left-wing coalition. There is a narrow coalition exactly the way it was during the latest elections. Any additional agreements which are being signed with BSP are accords on interaction. They make no one a coalition partner or a participant in the elections, nor do they create any circumstances provided for in the Election Code." LN/VE