Bulgaria sides with Hungary against EP over article 7

Bulgarian government forced by its hardline coalition partners

The Bulgarian government decided to back Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban against the possible Article 7 procedure requested by the European Parliament.
On behalf of the ‘United Patriot’ coalition, the junior coalition partner of Boyko Borissov’s government, Deputy Prime Minister Krassimir Karakachanov announced that the cabinet does not support the European Parliament’s motion to trigger Article 7 proceedings against Hungary, which was voted on 12 September.
The majority of Borissov’s GERB party (which is EPP-affiliated) in parliament depends on its coalition with the United Patriots: Siderov’s far-right Ataka, the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria of Valeri Simeonov, and VMRO, a political party which claims to be the successor to the historic Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. VMRO is led by Krassimir Karakachanov. Simeonov and Karakachanov are Deputy Prime Ministers, while Siderov is leader of the United Patriot’s group in the National Assembly.

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