January 22 (BTA) – With 164 votes in favour, 415 against and 20 abstentions, the Congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) did not accept the resignation of party leader Korneliya Ninova, the BSP press office said on Saturday. The vote was held in camera. In her report to the delegates, Ninova presented objective facts that have affected the results of the Socialists in the parliamentary elections: the covid pandemic and machine voting, adding that there are also other, subjective factors. As a party and a parliamentary group, we fully supported machine voting, but perhaps it is time we evaluated its effect and considered the introduction of mixed, machine-or-paper voting, giving every citizen the right to choose, she said. Ninova commented that despite losing the elections, the BSP has had considerable success. In three or four months the BSP has become a desirable partner for political change. “We are part of Bulgaria’s ruling coalition,” Ninova said. “We are a key pillar of stability, security, predictability and professionalism in Bulgaria’s current government and in the National Assembly,” she added. About the budget, which is to be adopted by the National Assembly, Ninova highlighted the increase in the minimum wage to 710 leva, extending maternity benefits over two years, the government’s predicted 4.8 per cent growth in the economy, the decline in unemployment to 5 per cent and of inflation from 7.1 to 5.6 per cent. “This is the first big step for social justice, and it is all thanks to the role the BSP and BSP for Bulgaria play in governing the country,” Ninova said. Korneliya Ninova later told reporters that she confirmed her resignation to the Congress and, when she submitted it, did not think of withdrawing it for a moment, but according to BSP rules, the decision had to be made by the delegates, who decided not to accept it. According to her, the important thing is that the Congress confirmed the policies of the BSP in the government by an overwhelming majority. Speaking to reporters, Krum Zarkov, who announced before the Congress that he would run for BSP leader in a possible direct election, described the decision as “more than a crime” and a “grave mistake”. The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) is holding a meeting of the 50th Congress of the party in Hall 1 of Sofia’s National Palace of Culture. The convening of the Congress came after a series of election losses for the BSP, which remained behind the MRF as the fourth political formation in the last parliamentary vote on November 14. Two days after the elections, in a statement to the media, Korneliya Ninova described the result as catastrophic and resigned, which will now be considered by the Congress. A month later, the BSP came to power as part of the ruling coalition, and Ninova became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Industry in the new government of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. RY/MT
(DF) Bulgarian Socialist Party Congress Rejects Korneliya Ninova’s Resignation
