Expelled Leader of DPS: a Turkish Fifth Column or a Lonely Dissident?

Bulgarian journalists hoping for a rest around Christmas were disappointed after a "breaking" event shook the political landscape, even if the quake is only on the surface. Lyutvi Mestan, who headed the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), was both removed as leader and expelled from his party after the honorary chair and co-founder, Ahmed Dogan, criticized him for a statement supporting Turkey in its dispute with Russia over the downed plane.

Dogan made clear his worries stemmed from the need of Bulgaria to stay away from the Russia-Turkey conflict and to be neutral at a time when the EU itself has no help to offer, having lost its ow way. He repeatedly made clear his main concern was national interest and the future of all Bulgarians.

Honorary chair Dogan, a former agent with Soviet-era State Security (DS), is often labelled as a defender of Russian business interests. Mestan, on the other hand (also a former agent), has taken a number of public steps to ensure good communication with the Turkish state. After an incident in January 2013, when a man attacked Dogan with a gas pistol, the latter retired from active political life, officially handing over the leadership to Mestan.

Ahmet Dogan (C), Lyuvti Mestan (R) and Filiz Hyusmenova (a MEP now widely pointed to as a possible successor to Mestan) in a BGNES file picture dated just before the attack against Dogan on January 19, 2013.

Ever since - almost three years into Mestan's unexpectedly ended term - Dogan had remained largely silent, refraining from public statements and fueling speculation about either his own health or his activities as a "de-facto leader" still running the party from behind the scenes.  
 
DPS is not just any party in Bulgaria...