Mothers of disabled children demand resignation of Deputy PM Valeri Simeonov

Protesting mothers of disabled children on 19^th of October insisted on the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov because of a statement in which he decribed protesters as "a group of shrill women who speculated with their children, manipulated the society, taking out in the streets those allegedly ill children in hot weather and rain." According to the protesting mothers, these words, said by such highly positioned man in the cabinet, show the attitude of the ruling government. The opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party also demanded Simeonov’s resignation because of the scandalous statement. Simeonov himself told the Bulgarian National Television that his words have been taken out of context and that there was no reason for his resignation.

At a briefing in Parliament, mothers said they already had a wide selection of insults to them from the ruling. They stressed that their protests show exactly how ill their children are. Obviously, the public is also ill provided it has such people as Valeri Simeonov in such high posts, they think.

Asked if they are concerned that at the briefing in the Parliament, Kornelia Ninova and Anton Kutev of the opposition BSP stood by them, the mothers responded that their problems do not have political colour. They specified that they were in Parliament to hear the debate on the vote of no confidence against the government over the healthcare policy.

BSP leader Kornelia Ninova said that Simeonov should not stay for a minute more in the post of the deputy prime minister. We want the whole government to resign because of catastrophe in the healthcare system, she added.