site.btaSocialist Party's National Council to Elect Acting Chairperson after Leader's Resignation

The National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) is meeting on Saturday to elect an acting chairperson after leader Korneliya Ninova tendered her resignation on June 11. The acting chairperson will be one of the BSP deputy leaders: Kristian Vigeniv, Irena Atanasova, Vladimir Moskov or Atanas Zafirov.

The National Council will also schedule conferences in the party's branches and a time for direct election of the party's chairperson.

On June 11, Ninova called the party's showing in the June 9 national and European elections "disastrous" and assumed personal responsibility for it. Ninova said she would be a rank-and-file MP, unlike her position as floor leader of BSP for Bulgaria in previous parliaments.

In an open letter to the party on June 13, she called for her resignation to be accepted. She said she would not participate in the work of the Executive Bureau and the National Council to avoid any allegations of interference in their decision making. "I will concentrate on my work in the National Assembly where, as always, I will stand up for your interests," she said.