Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance
Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance (Bulgarian: Демократи за отговорност, свобода и толерантност, romanized: Demokrati otgovornost, svoboda i tolerantnost) is a liberal and centrist political party in Bulgaria, mainly representing the Turkish minority. The party is led by Lyutvi Mestan.
| Abbreviation | DOST |
|---|---|
| Leader | Lyutvi Mestan |
| Founded | 10 April 2016 |
| Split from | Movement for Rights and Freedoms |
| Headquarters | 26-30th Building, Bacho Kiro St., Sofia |
| Youth wing | Youth Movement DOST |
| Ideology | Liberalism Turkish minority interests Pro-Europeanism |
| Political position | Centre |
| National affiliation | Democratic Bulgaria |
| Colours | Blue Yellow |
| National Assembly | 0 / 240 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 17 |
| Municipalities | 0 / 265 |
| Website | |
| dost.bg | |
Mestan, a long-time politician and member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria for Kardzhali,[1] served as chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), the main Turkish party in Bulgaria, from January 2013 to 24 December 2015. He was removed as party leader by the DPS central council and expelled from the party for what was considered an excessively pro-Turkish government stance following the downing of a Russian bomber jet by the Turkish Air Force.[2]
Mestan and his followers within the DPS subsequently founded a new party, DOST.[3]
In the 2017 parliamentary election the party obtained 2.9% of the vote (21.6% in Kardzhali) and no seat as it failed to meet the 4% electoral threshold.
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-03. Retrieved 2014-05-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Bulgaria's DPS Party Expels Chairman Lyutvi Mestan". novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- "Ousted Leader of Bulgaria's DPS Lyutvi Mestan Launches DOST Political Project". Novinite. 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2016-06-14.