Former President to Run for Chair of Bulgarian Socialist Party

Former President Georgi Parvanov has confirmed that he will run for Chair of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). Photo by BGNES

One month and a half after his second term in office expired, former President Georgi Parvanov confirmed that he would run for Chair of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) at the upcoming congress in May.

Parvanov announced his plans on Monday during a meeting with BSP activists from the Black Sea city of Burgas, saying that his aim was to bring the socialist party back into shape for the parliamentary elections in 2013.

He made it clear that he would not engage in leadership battles within BSP.

"My battle is with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the ruling party GERB, and I keep demonstrating this with every word and every remark I voice," Parvanov stated.

"I am here because I feel that I can contribute with my experience as a successful BSP Chair. I would like to remind you where BSP was in 1997 and where I left it in 2001," he boasted.

"I could also help with my experience as head of state for two terms in office. This experience could back BSP in its aspirations to rise to the status of a leading power again, Parvanov added.

Parvanov was BSP Chair until the autumn of 2001, when he was elected President.

During his two terms in office he repeatedly denied allegations that he would return to the socialist party.

He even tried to launch his own political project, the Alternative for Bulgarian Renneisance (ABV) movement, which was declared "frozen" less than a year after its inauguration.

Several months before leaving office, Parvanov started making hints about his return to BSP but remained evasive about his ambitions for the leadership post.

"Georgi Parvanov needs to first and foremost clarify his attitude towards center-right ruling party GERB and towards Prime Minister Boyko Borisov because one year ago he termed Borisov the most decisive Prime Minister and now he calls him the weakest. This is why I am bringing up the question of credibility and continuity in his stance," BSP Chair Stanishev said in response, as cited by Dnevnik daily.

He went on to invite the former President to speak up about the ABV project.

The current BSP Chair suggested that he was not worried by the rivalry between people and ideas and said he was eager hear Parvanov offer concrete ideas.

"Parvanov must unambiguously declare whether he will be running for BSP Chair because these tours he has been making with unclear motives and agenda are distracting our supporters," the socialist leader added.

Stanishev also noted that BSP had performed well at the presidential elections in end-October 2011, which had gone unnoticed by Parvanov, who had also fail to state his views on the widespread reports of electoral fraud.

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