Lyutvi Mestan

DOST head Lyutvi Mestan has announced his party will back the candidacy of Tsetska Tsacheva, the nominee of Bulgaria's main ruling party, in the presidential elections.

Mestan's announcement comes to no surprise, as he earlier indicated the Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance (DOST) may endorse GERB's candidate unless he ran himself as leader of the party.

A delegation of DOST party, led by its chair Lyutvi Mestan, held a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, the party's press office has said.

Key DOST members accompanying Mestan included Shabanali Ahmed, Hyusein Hafazov and Aydoan Alo.

Uncertainty looms about the number of unknown candidates that are to register with Bulgaria's Central Electoral Commission to run in the presidential elections on November 06.

Ahmed Dogan, the honorary chair of the Movements and Freedoms Party (DPS), could be nominated for President of Bulgaria, the party's current head Mustafa Karadayi has said.

Bulgaria's Parliament turned down proposals to endorse the use of a language other than Bulgarian in election campaigns, BGNES reported on Tuesday.

Bulgaria's third-largest, predominantly ethnic Turk DPS party has elected Mustafa Karadayi as its chairman, the party's press office has said.

Karadayi had been pointed for months as the favourite to take over the party well before Sunday's national congress scheduled for the election of a new leader.

DOST party will work toward strengthening Bulgaria's relations with neighbouring Turkey, its leader Lyutvi Mestan has said.

"The Republic of Turkey can be of great help to us," Mestan told Turkey's Anadolu Agency on Sunday in his first interview for foreign media after last week's founding of DOST party.

A quarter of traditional supporters of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party would vote for the new party of the former DPS leader, DOST, a Gallup International Bulgaria poll shows.

The expelled leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), Lyutvi Mestan, founded his new party on Sunday.

The founding conference was held in hall 3 of the National Palace of Culture (NDK) in the Bulgarian capital and was attended by 1103 founders.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has received Lyutvi Mestan, who was expelled as head of Bulgaria's third-largest DPS party.

At the government residency in the Cankaya district in Ankara, the two have discussed Bulgarian politics, members of Mestan's future party DOST have said in a press statement.