On the morning talk show of Nova TV, opposition parties’ leaders commented on the impeachment procedure and the no-confidence motion against the Cabinet that they were in the process of preparing. Bulgarian New Democracy (BND) leader Nikolai Svinarov said that there were no legal grounds for the impeachment procedure. However, BND would continue demanding President Georgi Purvanov’s resignation.

Stefan Sofiyanski, former Sofia mayor and Union of Free Democrats (UFD) leader, said that the opposition parties demanded Purvanov’s impeachment because he did not resign. One of Purvanov’s sponsors was shot dead, another one was severely wounded and now a third one is accused of embezzling European Union funds. Purvanov should resign, Sofiyanski said.

According to the ultra-nationalist Ataka party leader Volen Siderov, “the distinction between President and Cabinet is artificial […] They are the same thing to me”. The situation with the presidential sponsors was “a controversy comparable to Watergate”.

The opposition demanded the president’s resignation and as there was no result, the next step of the opposition was impeachment. Asked whether it was not easier to support the impeachment procedure launched by Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), Svinarov said that according to BND, the UDF’s grounds did not meet the constitution.

“There is no other less successful government so far“ in Bulgaria’s newest history, Svinarov said. “The failures of Zhan Videnov’s cabinet pale before what is happening here,” he said. “By all means, there will be united actions of the opposition against the Cabinet […] The matter is being discussed.”

Order, Law and Justice leader Yane Yanev told private broadcaster bTV that his party wanted snap elections “because in case the no-confidence motion vote succeeds, we will enter a parliamentary roundabout and some freak like Berov’s cabinet (1992/1994), even more thievish, may be born”.