Bulgarian govt survives 3rd no-confidence vote

Bulgaria's coalition government of the center-right GERB party and the nationalist United Patriots on Wednesday survived the third no-confidence motion in parliament.

The motion was backed by 99 deputies of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, while 133 voted against it.

The BSP filed the no-trust motion on Oct. 15, accusing the government led by GERB Chairman Boyko Borissov of unwillingness and inability to cope with "the catastrophic state of the healthcare sector."

The opposition filed the first and second no-confidence motions against the cabinet in January and June because of the government's alleged inability to cope with corruption and security issues respectively, but they were backed by only 103 and 104 legislators in the 240-seat parliament.

All no-confidence motions in Bulgaria in the last 28 years have been unsuccessful.