site.btaUPDATED Socialist Party Decision-Making Body Resigns, Leader Stays On

The decision-making Executive Bureau of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) resigned Tuesday, the party announced on its website. A meeting of the National Council of the party has been scheduled for January 10, 2026. "The members of the leadership of the Left made this decision as an act of collective responsibility, with the clear understanding that in this crucial moment for the State and the party, it is most important to calm the situation and lead the party through the upcoming challenges," the statement reads.

The party leader, Atanas Zafirov, was elected by the party congress and should ask the congress to endorse his resignation, Executive Bureau member Kaloyan Pargov explained during a news briefing held later in the day. 

The Executive Bureau includes Atanas Zafirov (Chair), Vice-Chairs Ivan Takov, Kaloyan Pargov, Ivan Peshev, Dragomir Stoynev and Ivan Ivanov; Organizational Secretaries Deyan Dechev, Atanas Atanasov, Tsvetelina Penkova and Filip Popov; Kiril Dobrev; Manol Genov; Vladimir Moskov; Borislav Gutsanov; Kristian Vigenin; Zhelyo Boychev; Ivan Ibrishimov; Yordan Mladenov; Trifon Panchev; Kalin Kalapankov; Stefan Burdjev; Gabriel Valkov; Dora Yankova; Dinko Zhelev; Nikolay Tishev.

Pargov also said that the decision was prompted by tensions in the party local structures.

There have been reports of dissent in the Socialist party local chapters recently over the outgoing leadership's role in the decision to become part of the government of GERB-UDF with There Is Such a People and the support of MRF - New Beginning. The government resigned last week under the pressure of massive anti-government and anti-corruption protests across the country.

Also on Tuesday, the party leadership decided to form a representative group to meet with President Rumen Radev on December 17 for consultations ahead of a government mandate. It will include Atanas Zafirov, Dragomir Stoynev, Kiril Dobrev, Kalyan Pargov, Ivan Takov, Ivan Ivanov and Manol Genov. 

In Pargov's words, the Executive Bureau also discussed public finances and agreed that a new state budget should be adopted for 2026 and that extending the 2025 budget for another three months is "one big nothing".