Ruling BSP's Sofia Branch 'Demands Party Leadership Changes'

Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)'s branch in the capital Sofia insists that thorough changes be carried out within the Executive Bureau, reports in Bulgarian media claim.

At a meeting late Monday, the Sofia bureau reached the conclusion that the next socialist leader should be chosen following elections within the party, Dnevnik.bg reports.

Earlier, BSP MP Kornelia Ninova argued that 22 local structures of the party were preparing a "putsch" against leader Sergey Stanishev.

Ninova herself resigned as Deputy Chair of the BSP's parliamentary group following the party's National Council earlier in June.

She believes that the socialists should not have a new chairman before the early elections have been held.

Stanishev, who is also President of the Party of European Socialists (PES), has been under pressure to resign following the weak EU election results, but has refused to take the step.