site.btaUPDATED Tzitzelkov Resigns as Deputy PM

Stoil Tzitzelkov resigned as Bulgaria's deputy prime minister on Friday. Prime Minister Andrey Gurov accepted his resignation, the Government Information Service said.

His resignation comes a day after the caretaker Cabinet took office. Presenting his lineup on Thursday, Gurov said that Tzitzelkov would be in charge of fair elections.

The deputy PM on Thursday was attacked by lawmakers and certain media that cited reports that he had a record of an arrest for marijuana use and another detention in custody for driving under the influence of alcohol.

"It seems that at this point my personality is rather a liability for our cause, which is fair elections. I will tender my resignation to the Prime Minister and to President Iliana Iotova so that above all the media could focus on the forthcoming elections rather than on me personally," Tzitzelkov told a news conference earlier in the day, explaining his decision.

"Administrative matters that have been closed more than a decade ago are being dusted out and checks are being triggered with an obvious political purpose. I'm not under any charges, convictions and effective restrictions at this point," Tzitzelkov said. "I will pursue a legal remedy for my rights against the unlawful disclosure of personal data and abuse of authority," he added.

"I will not allow this type of politics to pull down the cabinet's work. My criminal conviction certificate is clear, and so is my conscience. Fair elections are more than any person, including myself," Tzitzelkov said.

"I talked to Prime Minister Gurov. It was not an easy conversation. There are no easy solutions in such a situation. I received enormous support from the team," Tzitzelkov said further.

In his words, he has been subject to a massive attack for two days now. "This attack is not personal. I'm simply a suitable target. This is an attack on the Gurov's cabinet and its principal mission, which is fair elections. This is an attack by circles which realize that if the elections are held by the rules, they will not win. This is a last-ditch fight for keeping influence. Those people will most probably not make it to the next parliament," Tzitzelkov commented.

"The attacks against my professionalism are completely untenable. I am the only Bulgarian who attends international conferences, Venice Commissions, and I have scientific publications on the subject of elections, I advise various governments, and have been working this for 20 years. Bulgaria is the only place where I'm doing this pro bono," he said further.