A new right-wing party was established on February 16 2008 in Sofia. With 458 votes in her favour the independent member of Parliament (MP) Maria Kapon was elected as the leader of the Unified Peoples Party (UPP). The first message that came from Kapon was that the country had to be cleaned from the piles of rubbish.
The political goal of the UPP was described by its leader as “"reconciliation of the executive with the citizens, of the European idea and Bulgarian identity and between the man and the nature. The only coalition partner the UPP could have had, Kapon said, were the Bulgarian citizens. “We're starting work on UPP's participation at the next elections,” Kapon told reporters.
Together with Kapon, delegates elected MP Eleonora Nikolova in UPP's leadership. That way UPP already has two MPs in Parliament. Both Kapon and Nikolova were elected to Parliament as part of the right-wing coalition United Democratic Forces, which they left to become independent MPs.
The appearance of UPP on Bulgarian political horizon came two days after the 79 MPs from the opposition tabled a non-confidence vote against the Government on the grounds of corruption. Both Kapon and Nikolova will support the non-confidence vote on February 22.
For the first time in four years, the entire opposition in and out of Parliament supported the motion, as opposed to previous occasions. On February 17, at a joint news conference, representatives of the Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (abbreviated as GERB in Bulgarian), the Union of Democratic Forces, Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria, Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation, Bulgarian People's Union, the Law, Order and Justice Party, New Bulgarian Democracy and ultra nationalist Ataka party said they were ready to rule if the Government failed the test on February 22.
This will be the fourth non-confidence vote against the Government led by Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Sergei Stanishev. If the Government survives the vote, which given its disciplined majority, is almost certain, the next no-confidence motion can be tabled after six months, at the earliest.
