Bulgarian Politics: Kiril Petkov Resigns, Citing Responsibility for Controversial Appointments

Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Kiril Petkov, announced on Wednesday that he is stepping down from his positions as co-chair of the party "We Continue the Change" (WCC) - which is part of the main opposition coalition "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) - and as a member of parliament. He said the move was a personal decision to accept responsibility for what he described as personnel misjudgments at the level of district mayors, where, he acknowledged, there is potential for corrupt practices. “I am not resigning because I’ve been accused of corruption,” he emphasized, “but because corruption might exist lower in the chain.” Petkov urged GERB leader Boyko Borissov to follow suit and submit his resignation as well.

The announcement followed a raid the day before by officers from the Anti-Corruption Commission at the office of Deputy Mayor Nikola Barbutov in Sofia. Barbutov, who was nominated by WCC, was escorted out of the building by police. He said only that he had not been detained. No further details have been released by the prosecutor’s office regarding the case.

Petkov pointed out that he had overseen the party’s operations in Sofia over the past four years and was therefore accountable for appointments in the capital. He clarified that fellow party leader Asen Vassilev had no involvement in nominating candidates for municipal positions in the city.

The leadership shake-up comes amid broader unrest within the party’s local structures. On Monday, the mayors of Sofia’s “Mladost” and “Lyulin” districts, Ivaylo Kukurin and Georgi Todorov, announced their departure from WCC. During a joint press conference, Kukurin claimed he had faced pressure to engage in pre-arranged public tenders, while Todorov stated his refusal to serve “private and party interests.”

That same day, two municipal councilors affiliated with “We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria” coalition - Dimitar Shalafov and Dragomir Ivanov - also declared that they were leaving the group to become independents.