Bulgarian Vice Presidential Runner Demands Top Cop''s Resignation over Ethnic Tensions

Ex Interior Minister Emanuil Yordanov is the rightist VP candidate. Photo by 24 Chasa daily

Emanuil Yordanov, a candidate for Bulgarian Vice President endorsed by the right-wing Blue Coalition, has demanded Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov's resignation over what has been widely perceived as ethnic tensions in the country's village of Katunitsa.

"It is high time Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov resigned. He cannot open an electoral campaign in Burgas while Bulgaria is Burning," Yordanov stated early on Monday in an interview for the bTV private channel. He referred to the fact that Tsvetanov has taken a leave of absence in order to take care of his duties as his ruling centrist-right GERB's electoral campaign head.

Tsvetanov was in the southern Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas when the violence erupted.

"While Tsvetanov is absent, the Interior Ministry is left with no politicians in charge," Yordanov, a former Interior Minister (1997-2001), pointed out, adding that he believed just two Deputy Ministers with no administrative and political experience whatsoever were left to run the Interior Ministry during the crisis.

Tensions in the entire Plovdiv region escalated after Roma associates of notorious "businessman" Kiril Rashkov aka "Tsar Kiro" from the Plovdiv district of Stolipinovo ran over and killed 19-year-old Angel Petrov from the village of Katunitsa late Friday. The incident flared large-scale violence and protests which culminated Saturday night in an attack on Rashkov's properties, allegedly staged by several hundred football fans.

Monday is a day of mourning in the village. Angel was buried Sunday with a crowd of over 2 000 gathering to bid farewell to the young man. The mourning father insisted his son was killed on Tsar Kiro's orders.

A day before the incident, the following threat had been published in the Facebook profile of one of Rashkov's grandsons: "The one who is my enemy should die in a traffic accident!"

Pavel, 16, a friend of Angel, will be buried Monday. He passed out during the attacks on Rashkov's properties Friday and later died in the hospital. The boy had a bypass surgery several years ago.

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