Bulgaria Socialist-led government survives no-confidence motion

The Bulgaria minority government led by Socialist Party on Wednesday survived a no-confidence motion maneuvered by the opposition GERB party over its investment policy. The motion, first one for the four-month-old government led by Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, was called by the center-right GERB on Sept. 19, which accused Oresharski of fuelling bureaucracy and delaying construction and infrastructure investment in the new government. Vowing it will not be the last one, GERB party, led by Oresharski's predecessor Boiko Borisov, refused to participate in further discussions set for Thursday. After the vote, Oresharski told reporters that obviously the purpose of the motion was not for substantive debate on the policy in the investment planning. Though being refused, the motion has deepened the political crisis in the Balkan country, which has already been plagued by public protests. The ruling coalition, formed by Socialists and its partner ethnic Turkish MRF party, controls 120 seats in the parliament, and they are right now unofficially backed by nationalist Attack Party, which has 23 seats.