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Sat, May 26 2012
Bulgarian President: Prime Minister was tricked on the Turkish news referendum
President Georgi Purvanov
Photo: Асен Тонев
Prime Minister Boiko Borissov might have fallen into a trap, President Georgi Purvanov said on December 15 2009, referring to Borissov's endorsement of ultra-nationalist party Ataka's campaign for a national referendum on whether public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) should continue a special daily news bulletin in Turkish.
"I suspect that Borissov has fallen into a big, wide trap and I hope that he realises this," Purvanov said quoted by Bulgarian BTA news agency as saying.
On December 15 2009, Borissov said that his party GERB, which holds 116 MPs in the 240-seat Parliament, will support Ataka's idea for a referendum on the Turkish news bulletins.
Borissov announced this at a joint news conference with Ataka leader Volen Siderov. "This is a very delicate situation and we don't want the matter being exploited against Bulgarian Muslims or by them. That's why I support the idea of solving the issue on a referendum as this is the most democratic way," Borissov said.
According to Borissov, the aim of the referendum was to end, for once and for all, political exploitation of the issue.
Siderov and Ataka have been campaigning for more than five years against BNT's daily afternoon broadcast of a news summary in Turkish. Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria and there is no place for news in Turkish on the public broadcaster, Siderov has insisted.
According to Siderov Ataka has collected the 48 MP signatures required for Parliament to discuss holding a referendum.
If Parliament approves the proposed referendum, the President must issue a decree calling the referendum.
"My position on holding referendums in Bulgaria is well known and I don't think I should say it again although I can add more arguments to it," Purvanov said on December 16 2009.
Purvanov has called several times for Parliament to hold a referendum on energy issues but Parliament has always rejected the idea.
Borissov's support for Ataka's campaign for a referendum on the Turkish news has met mixed reactions. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party, which predominantly represents Muslim Bulgarians, reacted negatively.
According to MRF's Kemal Eyup, who also heads the state Commission for Protection against Discrimination, such a referendum would mean a division of Bulgarian society. "This would be a test for ethnic relations in Bulgaria," he told BNT.
However, he said that he did not expect the referendum to lead to any real confrontation.
The former ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) also reacted to the news of the referendum.
"We are not exactly great fans of the Turkish news on BNT, but this is not an issue that should be on the agenda today. What is important right now is the issue of Bulgarian pensioners' poor economic state and the issue of socially disadvantaged people.
"We are not in favour of money being spent on matters that are not pressing for Bulgaria," BSP's Kiril Dobrev told BNT.
The right-wing Union of Democratic Forces said that this could be a good opportunity to include in the referendum the issue of the construction of Bulgaria's second nuclear power plant at Belene on the Danube.
"I suspect that Borissov has fallen into a big, wide trap and I hope that he realises this," Purvanov said quoted by Bulgarian BTA news agency as saying.
On December 15 2009, Borissov said that his party GERB, which holds 116 MPs in the 240-seat Parliament, will support Ataka's idea for a referendum on the Turkish news bulletins.
Borissov announced this at a joint news conference with Ataka leader Volen Siderov. "This is a very delicate situation and we don't want the matter being exploited against Bulgarian Muslims or by them. That's why I support the idea of solving the issue on a referendum as this is the most democratic way," Borissov said.
According to Borissov, the aim of the referendum was to end, for once and for all, political exploitation of the issue.
Siderov and Ataka have been campaigning for more than five years against BNT's daily afternoon broadcast of a news summary in Turkish. Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria and there is no place for news in Turkish on the public broadcaster, Siderov has insisted.
According to Siderov Ataka has collected the 48 MP signatures required for Parliament to discuss holding a referendum.
If Parliament approves the proposed referendum, the President must issue a decree calling the referendum.
"My position on holding referendums in Bulgaria is well known and I don't think I should say it again although I can add more arguments to it," Purvanov said on December 16 2009.
Purvanov has called several times for Parliament to hold a referendum on energy issues but Parliament has always rejected the idea.
Borissov's support for Ataka's campaign for a referendum on the Turkish news has met mixed reactions. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party, which predominantly represents Muslim Bulgarians, reacted negatively.
According to MRF's Kemal Eyup, who also heads the state Commission for Protection against Discrimination, such a referendum would mean a division of Bulgarian society. "This would be a test for ethnic relations in Bulgaria," he told BNT.
However, he said that he did not expect the referendum to lead to any real confrontation.
The former ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) also reacted to the news of the referendum.
"We are not exactly great fans of the Turkish news on BNT, but this is not an issue that should be on the agenda today. What is important right now is the issue of Bulgarian pensioners' poor economic state and the issue of socially disadvantaged people.
"We are not in favour of money being spent on matters that are not pressing for Bulgaria," BSP's Kiril Dobrev told BNT.
The right-wing Union of Democratic Forces said that this could be a good opportunity to include in the referendum the issue of the construction of Bulgaria's second nuclear power plant at Belene on the Danube.
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Foreign Minister: Bulgaria will not hold a referendum on Turkish news bulletins
We can’t have such a referendum because we will become the laughing stock of Europe, Zheleva said.
Bulgarian PM backtracks on referendum on Turkish broadcasts
I supported Ataka because I need their support in Parliament, Boiko Borissov says.
European Parliament to debate Bulgaria's proposed referendum on Turkish newscasts
Bulgaria's Government should come to its senses, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, says.
Ankara closely monitoring referendum on Turkish news in Bulgaria
We expect the Bulgarian Government to make the necessary efforts to deal with the matter through dialogue and within the framework of democratic laws and human rights, Turkey's foreign ministry says
GERB, Ataka join forces on holding referendum on news in Turkish
This is the most democratic way to deal with the issue once and for all, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov says
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See postings elsewhere on this site, "Under the Covers" - the Welsh speaking population is as high as 88% in some parts of Wales, but there is (as you say) a dedicated Welsh-speaking TV channel S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymraeg) all over Wales, and nobody objects or gets "Balkan" about it.
I think that Ivan is overreacting. So far Borisov has done pretty much everything right. This is his first screw up and probably not the last, but he is a definete improvement over the last bunch... Perspective!
I agree with Smiley. A populist jerk always at the right place at the right time for a photo call even if it means delaying everything to wait on him. Who's behind him as I cant believe an ex communist body guard/fireman can run a country
There were programs available in Welsh even before there was a Welsh parliament. Borissov is nothing but a jerk.
Sure have a referendum for this but for the Lisbon Treaty nothing!! Huge double standards
Valev,
we should have TV programs in any language spoken in BG, including Roma - feeling outside the mix can only breed resentment and doesn't bode well for the future.
The Turks that we hate are long dead. These folks are born in BG and it is their home. The more we resist that simple truth, the more attractive extreme Islam will be to them.
You know, stupid people learn from their mistakes. Smart ones learn from other's mistakes.
Look at what the Serbs did to [...]
Read the full comment the Kosovo Albanians - they radicalized them. You have no idea what the difference is between them and the ones from Albania proper.
If we are not careful that can happen in BG too. Our Turks have been generally secular, in line with the general Bulgarian attitude - we are pretty secular, no matter certain posing at times. The Turks have been like that as well.
Give them dignity and you'll get the same back.
Turks and other minorities in Bulgaria do not have the status of neither the Welsh nor the Scots in the UK ! These have their own parlaiments - is this what you propose Under the Covers ?? You must be insane ...
Borissov has shown a very serious lack of judgement here. If he has any sense he will backdown before he ruins his reputation - and Bulgaria's! - abroad.
He must have a very, very thick hide if he cannot see how bad this sort of thing looks in a country that is Serbia's neighbour.
TV services for minorities are quite the norm in Europe. In fact, for a population of Welsh speakers much less than 10% there is an entire dedicated TV channel in the UK.