Bulgaria's BSP quits talks with We Continue the Change

The Bulgarian Socialist Party BSP walked out of negotiations with We Continue the Change for a new cabinet because of Prime Minister Kirill Petkov's decision to expel 70 Russian diplomats.

This is an unprecedented rupture of diplomatic relations with Russia, according to Kornelia Ninova, BSP leader after a meeting of the party's executive bureau. She said the decision was unilateral and was not discussed by the Council of Ministers. The outgoing Sports Minister Radostin Vassilev claimed differently - the cabinet had discussed the case with the Russian diplomats in a closed session and the ministers from the BSP quota had reacted negatively.

Ninova insisted that the parliament should hear the chairman of the State Agency for National Security in a closed session on the issue of Russian diplomats, and that the president should convene the Consultative Council on National Security.

If We Continue the Change abandoned Kiril Petkov as Prime Minister, the BSP would only return to the talks for a new government, according to Kornelia Ninova.

The decision of the BSP to quit the negotiations on the formation of a new government will be discussed at a meeting of the parliamentary group We Continue the Change, said chairman Andrey Gurov. He called on the political left to reconsider their reaction and said that We Continue the Change will do everything possible to form a government with the first exploratory mandate. One of the leaders of Democratic Bulgaria said that it is better to talk about priorities related to judicial reform, accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen area, and policies for joining the eurozone. He said that the ruling coalition must continue to exist, otherwise the country would plunge into chaos.