Bulgarian Rightist Leader to Step Down if Coaliton Crashes

If Bulgaria's rightist Blue Coalition falls apart, Martin Dimitrov is ready to resign as the leader of one of the two main coalition partners, the Union of Democratic Forces.

Strong rifts in the coalition emerged before presidential and municipal elections in Bulgaria October 2011, when the Union and other partner, Ivan Kostov's Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, failed to reach complete consensus on candidates.

The coalition, which currently has 14 MPs in Parliament (out of 240), made a disastrous showing at the elections, and opinion polls have it that it will not pass the threshold on next general elections.

"If Bulgaria's right does not reach unity, I will resign," said Martin Dimitrov in an interview for Darik Radio Saturday.

"I firmly believe that the coalition is the way to go for the true rightist parties in Bulgaria, that it is the only road to success," added he.

Dimitrov was reacting to a statement by former UDF leader and Bulgarian President (1997-2002), Petar Stoyanov, who recently said he believed the Union does not need to be part of the Blue Coalition anymore.

Former Bulgarian PM (1997-2001) Ivan Kostov's Democrats for Strong Bulgaria are also experiencing problems, with a number of key figures having quit the party.

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