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Impeachment Bid Against Bulgaria's President Fails

   VOA News 31 March 2010
   President  of  Bulgaria  Georgi  Parvanov  upon  his arrival at the EU
   Council building in Brussels (file photo)

Photo: AP

   President of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov (file photo)

   Bulgaria's  ruling  right-wing party has failed to get enough votes to
   impeach President Georgi Parvanov.
   The  parliament Wednesday voted 155 to 72 in favor of impeachment, but
   the  motion  needed  more  than 160 votes, or a two-thirds majority to
   proceed.  It  was  the  first  ever impeachment motion in the nation's
   history.
   The ruling GERB party has been at odds with the Socialist Mr. Parvanov
   because  of  a  political  dispute  between  the president and Finance
   Minister Simeon Djankov.
   Mr.  Parvanov  had  called  for  Djankov's  resignation  after Djankov
   appeared  to disparage the president on a television talk show earlier
   this month.
   The  GERB  accused  the  president  of  violating the constitution and
   meddling in government affairs.
   The president's role is mostly ceremonial, and many legal experts said
   even  if  the motion had passed, it would likely have been rejected by
   Bulgaria's constitutional court.

   Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.

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