Deputy PM Kuneva Says Her Party Standing behind Bulgarian Govt

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva has said her party, Bulgaria for Citizens Movement (DBG), will not withdraw its support for the government of Boyko Borisov.

DBG is one of the three core parties of the Reformist Bloc (RB), a loose coalition of parties that is the junior partner in Borisov's government.

Kuneva has made her comments, sent out to media outlets, after a meeting of DBG members that follows a move by another RB party, the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), to stop supporting the government and turn into an opposition party.

Health Minister Petar Moskov, however, will remain in office despite being a member of DSB.

A third RB party, Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) of Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski, is determined not to leave the cabinet.

DSB's move to stop supporting the government was motivated by the decision of lawmakers to reject part of the constitutional amendments proposed by Hristo Ivanov, who as a result stepped down as Justice Minister on Wednesday.

Unlike DSB, Kuneva maintains the Reformist Bloc's role as part of the government guarantees stability and enables reform.

In a statement, DBG says the constitutional changes approved by Parliament last week are "a step in the right direction". It reiterates its previous position that Hristo Ivanov's reform proposals were "not ambitious enough" in themselves but that they should be supported in the name of coalition unity.

An extraordinary RB meeting is due on Tuesday, with the coalition due to work on a joint position trying to smooth out differences.