site.btaInterim Socialist Leader Zafirov: Party Statute Bars Korneliya Ninova from Running for MP

Kornelia Ninova cannot run for Parliament because of the restrictions, which she herself imposed for a maximum of 12 years’ service as MP, said interim socialist leader Atanas Zafirov on Bulgarian National Television on Sunday.

He specified that the procedure for nominations of MP candidates will start as always through nominations from local chapters, municipal conferences, regional councils and will be approved by the party’s National Council. “Participation of coalition partners will be negotiated, and the final lists will be arranged by the National Council. This time we will rely on people who are well-known locally of high integrity and political authority. More importantly, this time we will try to bring to the fore slightly different faces to show that we understand the public's call for change,”: Zafirov said. “We want a debate in this campaign, including a leadership debate, to increase voter base based on the policies outlined in this debate,” he said.

Zafirov said that all recognizable political entities in the left spectrum are expected to join the coalition. The process is open, the dialogue is ongoing and, hopefully, there will be more than 20, Zafirov said.

He was adamant that there was a quorum at Saturday’s National Council meeting. “No one has talked about expulsion, but about measures to impose penalties. They can be very different and are a consequence of the open sabotage that we have been witnessing in the last days by Korneliya Ninova and some of her associates,” Zafirov explained.

Such actions create confusion and distrust not only within the party, but also within potential partners, and worse – in society, Zafirov added. At the moment, the administrative work of the party is largely blocked, because of the ongoing court proceedings and the suspension of the party’s subsidy, he added.