site.btaUPDATED Assen Vassilev Remains Sole Chairman of Continue the Change Until Party's General Meeting on September 27-28

Assen Vassilev announced at a press conference after a meeting of the National Council of Continue the Change (CC) that lasted more than seven hours that he would remain the sole chairman of the party until the general meeting to report on its activities and elect new leaders. The meeting will take place on September 27-28, he said.

On Sunday, the party gathered at its National Council to discuss the future of the formation after the resignation of co-chair Kiril Petkov. 

At the beginning of his statement, Assen Vassilev described Kiril Petkov's assumption of political responsibility and his resignation as party leader as “a precedent in Bulgaria's recent history.” According to Vassilev, Petkov has shown that the cause of Bulgaria is more important than political positions.

"Taking into account the resignation of co-chair Kiril Petkov, the National Council reaffirms its confidence in Assen Vassilev and the members of the Executive Council. At an extended meeting of the National Council of CC, all members agreed that CC must continue to develop and uphold the values and policies for which the party was created," Vassilev said. 

He pointed out that the National Council had decided to convene an elective general meeting on September 27 and 28, 2025, to adopt amendments to the party's constitution and elect the composition of the national governing bodies in accordance with them, as well as to prepare a draft of amendments to the constitution, including the creation of new control bodies, to be adopted at the General Assembly.

Vassilev described the accusations of pressure as “absolutely groundless.” He pointed out that none of the names mentioned as having been pressured for appointment had in fact been pressured. He noted that everyone at CC is free to choose the team they work with as a fundamental principle. There may be suggestions, and that is perfectly normal, but there can be no pressure to appoint people, and this is clearly proven by the fact that there has not been a single appointment of the individuals in question who are said to have been pressured to be appointed, Vassilev commented. He described the rumors of the collapse of his party as exaggerated. From Monday to date, 68 applications for termination of party membership have been submitted, and 40 applications for new party membership have been submitted. By comparison, CC has over 6,000 members who pay monthly membership fees, he said. 

CC was created with one main goal: a prosperous Bulgaria at the heart of the European Union. So far, in the little over three years since the party was founded, and with the two governments that the party has produced, Bulgaria has managed to achieve things that had been awaited for for decades: joining Schengen, joining the eurozone, and freeing Bulgarian businesses from the “Russia tax” in the energy sector, Vasilev added. 

Lena Borislavova said she was never involved in or heard any talks about setting up companies or any party officials getting involved in public procurement or appointments. She denied putting any pressure on anyone. 

When asked why Kiril Petkov was alone when he announced his decision to resign, Assen Vassilev said that it was his choice. He added that on Monday Petkov will also resign as a member of the 51st National Assembly.

Kiril Petkov resigned as co-chair of CC after a scandal involving allegations of pressure on the borough mayors of Lyulin and Mladost in connection with public procurement. On Wednesday, Petkov announced that he was also resigning as a member of Parliament, but no such resignation had been filed with the Parliament's registry by the end of the week. He is expected to do so on Monday, the press center of CC announced on Friday.

Earlier this week Lyulin and Mladost district mayors Georgi Todorov and Ivaylo Kukurin, as well as Dimitar Shalafov, a municipal councilor in the Sofia Municipal Council (SMC), have testified before investigative authorities regarding corruption practices in the two districts, according to posts on their social media profiles. At a press conference, the two district mayors, as well as Shalafov, who is a municipal councilor and co-chair of the CC-DB group in SMC, and Dragomir Ivanov, a municipal councilor from the same group, announced they are leaving CC, citing pressure from the party as the reason.

Counter-Corruption Commission representatives carried out searches at Sofia Municipality on Tuesday, and the deputy mayor was escorted from the building by police. They added that three people have been detained in the case, and the prosecution will later decide on further procedural actions. Desislava Petrova, spokesperson for the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, told the media that the case is ongoing and more information will be provided at a later stage.