The opposition coalition United Democratic Forces (UtDF) would start a sign-up list for a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev if he did not appear in the parliamentary hall to answer questions about the teachers' strike, UtDF member of parliament Lyuben Dilov said.

The teachers are on effective strike since September 24 2007, demanding higher salaries.

According to Dilov, UtDF would initiate the sign-up list before the municipal elections on October 28 2007.

On October 10 2007, the Parliament rejected opposition’s proposal for Stanishev to be questioned in the parliamentary hall, Focus news agency reported.

UtDF insisted on an emergency hearing of the parliamentary Education and Science Committee which would discuss only the teachers’ crisis.

Dilov said the state had resources enough to provide the teachers with an immediate 50 per cent increase in salaries.

The teachers’ threat to block schools where polling stations would be opened and the stated readiness to resign of up to 90 per cent of the teachers in some municipalities was alarming, he said.