SOFIA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's three-month-old government, led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, survived a second no-confidence motion on Thursday.

The motion, submitted by opposition parties on April 10, accused the government of failing in its fight against corruption. It was backed by 72 deputies in the 240-seat National Assembly, while 130 voted against it. The 36-seat parliamentary group "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" abstained from participating in the vote.

For the motion to pass, it required a majority of more than half of all National Assembly members.

During the parliament debate on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, who also leads the Bulgarian Socialist Party, defended the government. He noted that the current administration was formed on a balance and interaction between politically opposing factions.

"And that is precisely why none of these parties will have tolerance for corruption," Zafirov said.

This was the opposition's second attempt to unseat the cabinet. The first motion focusing on foreign policy failed on April 3.

According to Bulgarian law, a no-confidence vote may be proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly's members. However, a new motion on the same grounds cannot be submitted within six months.

Prime Minister Zhelyazkov's government took office on Jan. 16 with the support of 125 legislators. Enditem

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