Opposition Leader in Sofia Demands Dissolution of Parliament

Kaloyan Pargov, who heads the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)'s structure in the capital Sofia, has called on Parliament to dissolve itself to pave the way for early elections.

Pargov has made his remarks at a party meeting in Sofia  that has to end with a vote for a new leader, with Pargov expected to be elected for another term in office, according to Dnevnik.bg.

In his speech to delegates, he has accused the government of trying to hide with messages of lower unemployment "and other tricks" the economic collapse consisting, in his words, of 30 000 companies that have failed since the year began, higher debt rates and corporate debt, and lack of a vision and national responsibility that could push Bulgaria toward "disintegration".

It has become customary for opposition parties in Bulgaria, a country which held a total of two early elections in 2013 and 2014, to consider a new snap vote as their main priority.

The BSP, Bulgaria's second-biggest party, is still trying to find a way out of an internal crisis, having lost hundreds of thousands of votes in elections held over the past 7 years since GERB's victory in the 2009 parliamentary race. Its last tenure was marked by massive anti-goverment protests triggered by the appointment of controversial DPS lawmaker Delyan Peevski as head of DANS, the national security and counter-intelligence agency.

A national congress is due in May which will determine the party's next leader.