site.btaDelegates at Socialist Congress Share Expectations for Change of Party Leader

Delegates at the Congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) voiced their expectations for a change of the party leader ahead of the start of the high-level forum.

The session of the 51st BSP Congress began just after 11 am in Hall 3 of the National Palace of Culture on Saturday. “There are 689 registered delegates, so the Congress can start its work,” announced BSP Chairperson Atanas Zafirov.

“There will certainly be a new chairperson,” commented Ivan Petkov, MP of BSP-United Left, before the start of the Congress. According to him, it is good that there is intrigue because it shows that the party is alive after the destructive governance of which BSP was part of. “I hope we come out united, acknowledge our mistakes, do not repeat them in the future, and have a new leader going forward,” he added. Petkov also said he expects candidates for the next chairperson to explain their programs and clarify whether they will distance themselves from Boyko Borissov and Delyan Peevski in the future.

Outgoing Labour Minister and member of the outgoing BSP Executive Bureau Borislav Gutsanov, who is one of the nominees for chairperson, commented that he expects the Congress to show wisdom in determining who is the most suitable leader at this moment so that the party can emerge strong, united, and signal to society that they understand what BSP needs to do moving forward.

When asked whether he regrets participating in the government, Gutsanov said that there had to be an end to this series of elections — seven within a few years — and therefore it was the right decision. “But whether participating in this government was done in the best possible way is another question,” he added. According to him, many things could have been done differently, but the discrediting overshadows all the good that was accomplished.

Krum Zarkov commented that the race for the leadership position is serious, a real political clash, which can only occur within only one party in Bulgaria, and expressed hope that it would set an example for the Bulgarian people as a whole. “This is a struggle that should lead to a new order, a lawful order,” he added.

When asked what support he expects as a candidate for BSP chairperson, Zarkov said that everything is in the hands of the delegates. “I will have the honor to speak before them, and I am grateful, because they gave me this honor by nominating me,” he added.