site.btaBSP Chair Confirms February Date for Party Congress, Rejects Calls for Resignation

Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Chair Atanas Zafirov said that he had initially believed the party congress should be convened immediately after the upcoming snap parliamentary elections. He emphasized that he had no intention of resigning. Zafirov made these comments to journalists after a BSP National Council meeting on Saturday, during which it was decided to hold the congress on February 7 and 8.

Saturday's meeting was scheduled last month when the BSP Executive Bureau resigned following the December 11 resignation of the coalition government the BSP was part of. 

"It’s no secret that I believed the timing for the congress isn’t ideal right now, before the elections, as we are still behind in our preparations. The issue wasn’t whether the congress would happen, but when it would take place. I thought the best time would be immediately after the elections, when we could conduct a full analysis and close the entire cycle," Zafirov explained. He added that he would approach the congress with the confidence of a chairman who has carried out his duties effectively.

Zafirov also pointed out that the National Council of the party had given a positive evaluation of the work of its representatives in the executive branch. "This shows that over the past year, we have been on the right path and must continue with the same efforts for the well-being of the Bulgarian people," he said.

Another important piece of news from Saturday’s plenary, according to Zafirov, was that the BSP had launched its procedure for the nomination of candidates for members of Parliament. "As of today, we have started our preparations for the election campaign, which will be finalized with the ranking of the lists by the middle of next month, assuming the elections take place around the end of March," he said.

Asked why he had not resigned, Zafirov replied, "I did not resign because that would have been a betrayal of the people who entrusted me with their confidence less than a year ago and a rejection of everything we have accomplished during this year." He added that he had not heard any reasons for his resignation and had no intention of stepping down.

Back in December,  Zafirov did not resign, arguing that being elected by the party congress, he should ask again the congress to endorse his resignation. On January 9, he commented that holding the congress in a hurry would scatter the forces of the Left, and that all major decisions must be made after the early parliamentary elections. 

In response to a question about whether he would once again run for chairman of the BSP, Zafirov said he was not convinced that an election for the party leader would take place. "The congress will assess whether the powers should be terminated. Until then, I am carrying out the duties of chairman," he added.

"I also believe that the resignation of the Executive Bureau was a mistake, and today’s decision of the plenary confirms that," Zafirov concluded.