The campaign launched by Bulgaria's three leading right-wing parties in opposition to the Governemnt will be held under the motto “I am European”, the parties agreed on September 1 2008, Bulgarian news agency Focus said.

The Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (abbreviated as GERB in Bulgaria), the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) discussed joint actions against the coalition Cabinet of Socialist Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev.

The three parties, all members of the European People's Party, decided to start collecting signatures in favour of their call for bringing down the Government. For the purpose, the partes will print 500 000 copies of a form that citizens could sign under.

The parties thought of publishing the form on-line. Signatures will be collected from September 6 to September 20 in all of Bulgaria's major towns. People can sign under the form between 11am and 1pm.

On September 21, the parties will have a debate with trade unions and NGOs to discuss the issue with bringing down the Government, Focus said. “The motto of the campaign is not just words but the essence of the reformist forces in Bulgaria,” Petar Moskov, deputy-chairman of DSB, was quoted by Focus as saying.

According to him, to be an European meant “not accepting that the Government steals billions while you receive a monthly salary of 240 leva,” Focus said. There was still a debate whether there was a realistic alternative to the Government, but that was not a reason to keep the current ruling coalition in power, Moscow said. “When someone is caught stealing, you first fire him and then you look for his replacement,” he was quoted as saying by Focus.

The issue with the alternative to the Government was raised on August 26 2008 when the three right-wing parties asked for the support of Podkrepa and the Confederation of Trade Unions in Bulgaria, Bulgaria's two major labour union blocs.

The trade unions told them that they saw no alternative to the current Cabinet in the face of GERB, UDF and DSB. Trade unions promised their support only after the three right-wing parties present their ideas of how to govern the country and, more precisely, who they saw the situation in the social and healthcare sectors.