BSP Adamant to Stay Out of Gov't, Cadres Urge Changes in Party

Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)'s headquarters in Bulgaria's capital Sofia. Photo by BGNES

Socialists confirmed they will not join a new Bulgarian government in any form, though they will take part in talks proposed by GERB if officially invited.

BSP spokesperson Atanas Merdzhanov told journalists after a session of the party's Executive Bureau on Tuesday it will adhere to the offer GERB about the nature and form of talks.

He also slammed at conservatives' leader Boyko Borisov's proposal that ministerial seats could be handed out to any party supporting the program of GERB.

"Such interjections for handing out, conceding one ministry or another are not a serious attitude to all problems... and the state of [Bulgaria]. We have more than once declared not to renounce our 12 red lines which were pointed in our election platform. Around these... our final position will be built," Merdzhanov elaborated.

On Friday this week the party is due to discuss its results in the early general poll held Sunday, October 5, in which the BSP, the former senior coalition partner in Bulgaria's government, came second, losing to GERB by over 17 percent.

Possible measures are to be proposed regarding necessary changes in party organizations, according to Merdzhanov.

Other officials, however, warn socialists need serious top-level shifts to tackle the crisis in which they have plundged lately.

Krasimir Yankov, elected MP (with a preference) from the Black Sea city of Varna, told the Bulgarian National Radio changes should be expected in the BSP's frontline.

He stressed shifts were of utmost priority, since socialist received half as many votes as in the previous election in 2013 and should learn from voters' assessment of their cadres.

Yankov is one of the youngest key members of the party and was a candidate to become its Chairman in July, when Mihail Mikov was elected to take over from Sergey Stanishev. He is considered to have substantial influence within the party.

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