In a speech delivered at the weekend to the Conference of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms Party in Sofia, Bulgaria, President of the ALDE Party Sir Graham Watson MEP paid tribute to the party’s founder and outgoing leader Ahmed Dogan and criticised the increasingly repressive government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

He said: “the biggest challenge for Bulgaria is the restoration of democracy in a country with a dangerously repressive government. To remind us of Edmund Burke's dictum: all that is needed for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.”

“Borisov reminds me of the new aeroplane they call the Dreamliner. It sounds great and it looks great, but very soon you find major safety problems and the aircraft has to be grounded.”

“Where others see only problems in Bulgaria, Liberals see opportunities. It needs the vision to exploit them yet Borisov is blind to them,” he continued.

“I believe you have the vision Bulgaria so badly needs and I believe your people will perceive that. Let the fight back against Borisov begin!”

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Sir Graham was also in the room and witnessed the failed assassination attempt on liberal leader Ahmed Dogan. He later expressed his relief that the pistol had not gone off as intended and expressed the shock of all European Liberals.

He said: "Liberals have become increasingly concerned about freedom and the rule of law under Prime Minister Borisov. The European Union may need to mobilise to put the country back on track. I hope the government will move quickly to establish the forces behind this attempted murder and to bring them to justice." 

The full text of Sir Graham’s speech to the MRF Conference can be found at http://www.aldeparty.eu/en/news/sir-graham-let-fight-back-against-borisov-begin