Bulgaria Former Diaspora Minister Quits Parliament Too

During his term in office, Bozhidar Dimitrov managed to gain a questionable reputation by uttering a plethora of blatantly nationalistic or otherwise inappropriate statements. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's former minister without portfolio Bozhidar Dimitrov has been formally dismissed as member of parliament, a month after he quit the government for having links with the Soviet-era secret police.

The resignation was supported by 129 MPs, three voted against and another two abstained.

Under an amendment, initiated by Dimitrov himself, he will be replaced in parliament by the next runner on the ballot of the ruling GERB party as proposed for the general elections in the summer of 2009.

Bozhidar Dimitrov, who was in charge of the Bulgarian communities abroad, resigned December 19 after the government set out to recall senior diplomats in foreign posts who served as secret police agents before the collapse of communism.

The revelations caused a political turmoil in Bulgaria, as Prime Minister Boyko Borisov firmly pledged to fire the discredited diplomats, while President Georgi Parvanov opposed this option.

The opposition demanded that Borisov be fair and dismiss his own State Security minister.

Some days after Dimitrov's resignation, Borisov announced that he might refrain to look for a replacement and suggested to parliament to close down his position altogether.

Over the duration of his term in office, Dimitrov managed to gain a questionable reputation by uttering a plethora of blatantly nationalistic or otherwise inappropriate statements.

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