Yesterday, 15 October, the left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, submitted a motion of no confidence in the government, its third for the year. The first was tabled at the beginning of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in January over allegations of corruption, and did not pass. Another no confidence motion marked the end of the Presidency in June, this time over the security sector, and this one did not pass either.

This is not the first time the BSP is submitting no confidence motions over health and security – it did so during the first Boyko Borissov cabinet, in October 2010 and again in June 2011. These too were rejected, despite the support of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, but now, with the Borissov 3 cabinet, the DPS is declining its support for the BSP motion, because, according to its own analyses, there is no political force at this time capable of forming an alternative to the GERB government.

However the socialists do not see it that way, and in the words of BSP leader Kornelia Ninova, this latest vote has a triple aim – to prove that “the healthcare system is in a catastrophic state, that the government does not want to address the problems in the sector, and that there is an alternative to all this – the Bulgarian Socialist Party.” And seeing as they do not have any support in parliament, the BSP reached out for support beyond the National Assembly, with meetings with doctor and patient organizations and the National Association of Municipal Hospitals. The governing body of the Bulgarian Medical Association said they were pleased with the discussions they had with the BSP, describing them as constructive and useful, but declined to make any comment regarding the vote, with the motive that the association did not meddle in politics.

Kornelia Ninova herself admitted that there was no way the cabinet can be brought down with the 79 BSP votes. And though the parliamentary group of the left wing has not given up on the hope of winning over the support of the DPS – which has 25 MPs – to make the vote of no confidence successful, it will take 121 votes out of the total of 240 MPs sitting in parliament. Even though the no confidence motion stands zero chance of success, it could still be expected to serve public interest in a serious way. The debates in parliament, which the motion submitted by the socialists requires, come at a time when GERB party are out to carry through amendments to the laws on health, health insurance, medical establishments and medication in human medicine, by amending the National Health Insurance Fund budget act. The amendments in question aim to concentrate more power in the hands of the state and of the health institutions, and enhance control of the healthcare system, so as to restrict syphoning off of funds and inefficient spending within the system. These flaws are visible to the naked eye, and have been for a long time, though the opposition is saying that the steps the powers that be are taking to overcome them are rash, without sufficient public debate or impact assessment.

Debates on the no confidence motion have to take place no earlier than three, and no later than seven days after it has been submitted. Sources from the ruling GERB party itself say that they are important, as healthcare is a priority.

English version: Milena Daynova