/ world today news/ The authoritative Brussels publication EURACTIV reports today the expulsion of Petar Vitanov from the BSP. Vitanov, the leader of the Bulgarian Socialists’ S&D group in the European Parliament, was expelled from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on Saturday (February 11th), underscoring the deep crisis of that political force. The BSP held a congress on Saturday in Sofia, marked by “battle scenes” between supporters and critics of party leader Cornelia Ninova, EURACTIV writes.
Vitanov proposed that the congress begin with a vote to terminate Ninova’s powers as chairman.
“How long will we constantly justify our failures with inflation, and with the president, and with the domestic opposition, and with the voting machines, and with the Magnitsky Act.” How long will we refuse to bear the blame”, asked Vitanov.
He pointed to the conflicts between Ninova and President Rumen Radev, which many consider personal and harm the interests of the country. Radev was elected for the first term as a BSP candidate, and according to many analysts, Ninova envied him for the popular support. He also noted the heavy blow to the BSP, after one of its leaders, Rumen Ovcharov, was sanctioned for corruption under the US Magnitsky Act.
Vitanov also pointed to the constantly deteriorating results of the BSP in the last elections. In October last year, the BSP received 8.98% of the votes and was the fifth political force. Despite the loss of voters, Ninova managed to control the party apparatus. Thus, the majority of the BSP congress rejected the proposal of the party opposition to vote on Ninova’s resignation with 524 votes to 237 against and 21 abstentions.
However, the suspicion remained that the census was manipulated. The reason is that at the beginning of the congress it was announced that 557 delegates had registered, and nearly 800 people had participated in the voting. Instead, the congress voted to expel 14 BSP critics, including Vitanov.
Asked by EURACTIV to explain his conflict with the BSP leadership, Vitanov said those differences were articulated in a four-point declaration adopted by nearly 300 opposition-minded socialists on Sunday.
“Any dissenting opinion is censored or sanctioned. The BSP is turning into a pseudo-patriotic and anti-European party,” Vitanov also told the Brussels-based publication.
“The only reason we were expelled is because we wanted the resignation of the party chairman. BSP is turning into an anti-European party. Even yesterday at the congress there was talk of supporting the “Vazrazhdane” referendum against the euro. And not only. BSP has become a party with a double standard regarding corruption. We know that even because of suspicions of corruption, people were ostracized before, and today, when we have information from our strategic partner, the United States, we stand in defense of people accused of corruption. These are double standards, which, according to him, cannot be accepted well by the Bulgarian citizens,” commented Vitanov to EURACTIV.
The MEP believes that he was excluded for one simple reason – that for the last two and a half years he has been demanding a change of leadership: “Because I am convinced that the way we continue, both personally and politically, the BSP is going into non-existence.” .
Petar Vitanov comments with a certain sense of humor that “the BSP has become an organization of “young and promising personnel” such as Rumen Ovcharov, such as Rumen Gechev, such as Brigo Asparuhov, such as Tasko Ermenkov, who defend the leader”. These are “young” personnel with great potential, but instead exclude people aged 30-35.
To contact the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the EP:
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