Socialist parties

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.

Defense Minister Angel Naydenov has said that the socialists will not set a date for the snap elections during Tuesday's sitting of the Consultative Council on National Security.

Naydenov, Spokesperson for the Bulgarian Socialist Party, announced the plans of the ruling party after a Monday sitting of the Executive Bureau of BSP.

The government of Plamen Oresharski could resign “any day of next week”, Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) MP Anton Kutev told TV7. 

According to Kutev, however, if Oresharski resigned now, elections must be held in August. In his words, elections in end of July were still technically possible “with common agreement and minimum law amendments.”

The resignation of socialist MP Georgi Kadiev was approved Friday with 89 votes in favor, 54 votes against and 14 abstentions.

Lawmakers have approved all members of Bulgaria's Audit Office following a nearly three-hour debate.

With 111 to 80 votes, a total of nine people were appointed and sworn in, despite calls by the opposition that the ruling parties should not embark on such a move in the eve of resignation and early elections.

Bulgaria's Deputy Parliament Speaker Maya Manolova reaffirmed that the early elections should be as soon as possible, but July would not be a reasonable option.

"The elections should take place as soon as possible. Technically though, they cannot be in July. It is not Stanishev, but the President who has to appoint the date", Manolova said, quoted by Standartnews.

Sergey Stanishev, leader of the senior partner in the ruling coalition, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), demanded the resignation of the government of Plamen Oresharski.

The leader of the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Sergey Stanishev, hinted at the likelihood of early parliamentary elections, at a press conference on Friday morning.

He, however, refused to set a specific date for the elections or for the eventual resignation of the government of Plamen Oresharski.

Changes in Bulgarian government are to be announced next week after a detailed analysis of the year it was in power, Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) officials said.

Reshuffles are also likely among the ruling party's top cadres, but its leader Sergey Stanishev will remain head of the socialists, BSP Executive Bureau member Borislav Gutsanov announced after a Tuesday session.

Low voter turnout at the EU elections on May 25 was a result of the Ukraine crisis and the rise of President (2002-2011)'s splinter-off ABV party, BSP officials believe.

After a meeting of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)'s Executive Bureau Tuesday, Dimitar Dabov, Deputy Chair of the party's National Council, said his party failed to mobilize its traditional supporters.