SOFIA (Bulgaria), July 23 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's right-wing opposition on Wednesday filed a no-confidence motion against the Socialist-led government, accusing it of causing "material and moral damages to Bulgaria and its citizens because of non-absorption of the European Union's structural funds," state-run news agency BTA reported.
The no-confidence motion was filed an hour before the European Commission is scheduled to release its reports on Bulgaria's absorption of EU funds and the country's progress in the reform of its graft-prone judiciary. The reports are expected to harshly criticise the government in Sofia for its failure to properly spend EU money and efficiently fight organised crime and corruption.
The EU is expected to block millions of euro of aid with the report on absorption of EU funds. Bulgaria, which joined the European Union in January 2007, was expected to have access to more than 11 billion euro ($17.3 billion) from the bloc's cohesion and structural funds until 2013.
The coalition government controls 150 of the 240 seats in parliament. The opposition needs at least 121 votes to oust the government led by Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev. The no-confidence vote will be the sixth one against the three-party government coalition that took office in August 2005.
The coalition comprises the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the centrist NDSV party led by former king Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha, and predominantly ethnic Turk MRF party. It has easily survived the previous five votes of no-confidence.
The no-confidence motion must be put to debate in parliament within a week at the latest. A vote has to take place within 24 hours after the debate closes.
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