SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s government on Thursday survived a second no-confidence motion in parliament in as many weeks.

The motion tabled by the Mech party and backed by two other nationalist and pro-Russia groups accused the government of failing to effectively combat rampant graft and bribery. It was defeated in a 130-72 vote in the 240-seat parliament. The government’s coalition Cabinet is led by the center-right GERB party.

The government condemned the motion as an attempt to derail Bulgaria’s plan to adopt the euro at the beginning of 2026, which would consolidate its European integration.

Quote of the week

In the document, Elshad Abdullayev invested in the “Fund to Support the President of the Russian Federation Mr. Putin”
“A document confirming the financial donation to Putin’s fund by Elshad Abdullayev, an internationally wanted criminal, fraudster, and murderer hiding in France, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison.”