SOFIA - Bulgaria's parliament holds a fresh vote on Thursday after complaints over a ballot that torpedoed a Socialist-led plan for a minority cabinet and threatened a crisis which could delay European Union membership.
The Socialists, the leading party in inconclusive June 25 elections in the Balkan state, and their ethnic Turkish allies were defeated in a confidence vote on Wednesday, but asked for a new one on grounds the ballot had not been secret as agreed.
Parliament's speaker Georgi Pirinksi ordered the new vote to be held at 0700 GMT. According to the chamber's rules, deputies may make one appeal against the result of votes but the second decision is final.
"A very serious shadow is looming. I appeal to everyone to come to their senses," Pirinksi told reporters. "The opposition is trying to block the work of parliament and to usurp a mandate (to form a government)."
Socialist deputy Mihail Mikov made the appeal against Wednesday's vote, saying: "The secrecy of the ballot was not exercised. Political parties exerted unacceptable pressure on deputies to open their ballots."
EU Warning
If the result is repeated it would be a blow to the Black Sea nation of 8 million because Brussels has warned Bulgaria no more time can be wasted on forming a government and implementing reforms if it is to join the EU as planned in 2007.
The EU's executive, due to release a report in October on Bulgaria's readiness to join the bloc, has said it will keep its gates shut until 2008 if Sofia fails to overhaul its slow and corrupt judicial system and pass other reforms.
Despite robust economic growth of more than 4.0 percent in the last four years, Bulgaria is the poorest country of all EU candidates and member states except for Turkey. Monthly salaries average 150 euros ($181). A repeat result would also give former king Simeon Saxe-Coburg's centrist party a chance to form a cabinet and govern for a second term. The National Movement for Simeon II (NMS) forced the Socialists to go for a minority cabinet by refusing to join a coalition.
The Socialists and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) control only 116 of parliament's 240 seats.
Parties opposed to the Socialist-led grouping protested against the planned new vote and called on President Georgi Parvanov to give the NMS a mandate to form a government.
"The speaker of parliament allowed himself to appoint a re-vote. We see this move as unconstitutional," NMS parliamentary leader Anelia Mingova told reporters.
"The possibility for the Socialists to have a government ... is exhausted."
The minority cabinet plan by the Socialists and the MRF was defeated on two points- its structure and the individual names on the government list.
The two parties had asked for a secret vote in the hope individual deputies from other parties would support them, as they did earlier on Wednesday by approving Socialist leader Sergei Stanishev as prime minister by a one vote margin.
Saxe-Coburg, who refused to join the two parties unless he kept the leading government role, is expected to try to form a coalition with right-of-centre parties if he gets a chance.
But MRF leader Ahmed Dogan has said he would not support such a move.
Analysts say Saxe-Coburg would be hard pressed to muster a majority and warned early national elections and a delay in EU membership looked to be just around the corner.
"Early elections will be almost unavoidable ... We will see a repeat of the current situation, as Simeon does not have the votes," said Gallup analyst Kancho Stoichev.
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