Bulgaria's Socialist-backed government survives 3rd no-confidence vote in parliament

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bulgaria's government has survived a no-confidence vote called for by the opposition that accuses it of failing to deal with a massive influx of refugees and a rise in crime.

The 240-member parliament on Wednesday rejected the motion in a 116-93 vote with eight abstentions. It is the third time Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski's left-leaning government has survived such a motion after it came to power last May.

The opposition accused the government of being caught unprepared by a surge of some 12,000 refugees, mainly from Syria, which has strained the country's asylum system. It also claimed that common crime cases across the country has risen because large number of police officers were sent to the capital, Sofia, in response to the eight months of anti-government protests.