Balgarianovinite.com The BSP-United Left coalition held a series of meetings in Sofia on Saturday to consolidate its election preparations and project left-wing unity ahead of the April 19 snap parliamentary elections. The emergence of a new political project linked to former president Rumen Radev continued to influence internal debates and coalition messaging.
Early in the day, former BSP leader Sergei Stanishev warned that BSP faced a potentially existential risk of failing to enter the next Parliament because of its past role in government and the pull of a Radev-linked project. He urged the party to draw a clear dividing line from Radev’s prospective political vehicle and backed BSP Chair Krum Zarkov’s reform agenda, arguing that left-wing voters need hope that the left will endure and remain useful to society.
Speaking ahead of the meeting at party headquarters, BSP National Council member and BSP MP Borislav Gutsanov said BSP’s election performance would largely hinge on decisions taken at this and at the next plenum, adding that unity was paramount and that the party’s diversity should be preserved.
Other BSP figures also linked renewal to new faces and a refreshed leadership line-up, with former environment minister and BSP MP Manol Genov cautioning that the election carries real risks and that, as a rule, leaderships bear responsibility if the party fails to enter Parliament.
Later on Saturday, the BSP National Council elected a new Executive Bureau and approved 21 list leaders for the upcoming elections, with the remaining list leaders and candidate lists to be decided at the next National Council meeting on March 7.
At a subsequent press conference, Zarkov said the party had given “a clear signal that the prophecies about the Bulgarian Socialist Party will not come true” and that it was “embarking on a path to restore its relevance”, describing the new Executive Bureau as reflecting “the concept of renewal through respect”.
Zarkov said BSP would again contest the elections as part of the BSP–United Left coalition, adding that BSP would not accept a subordinate position and would work with partners on the basis of equality and mutual respect. He described Stanishev’s presence in the Executive Bureau as “normal” and rejected suggestions of influence by MRF Chair Delyan Peevski.
Asked about BSP supporters looking toward a project linked to Radev, Zarkov said he believed the party had begun to retain them and would continue to do so because they would recognize BSP as their political family.
Zarkov also took positions beyond the intra-party agenda, saying caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Caretaker Minister of Justice Andrey Yankulov was right to exercise his powers to raise the issue of acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov before the Supreme Judicial Council.
Commenting on the presence of military aircraft at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, Zarkov said concerns persist and BSP would insist on receiving information, adding that left-wing parties in Europe do not uncritically accept a course of greater armament and militarization.
More spending on armaments does not automatically mean more security, he said, arguing for a comprehensive vision of security that includes political, economic, energy and social dimensions and warning that security without social cohesion is an illusion. “Peace is a fundamental goal of politics,” Zarkov said.
In parallel with the BSP National Council’s work, Bulgarian Social Democracy – EuroLeft, a partner in the BSP-United Left coalition, held a national conference in Sofia and decided to take part in the April 19 elections in coalition with BSP-United Left. The conference also adopted a resolution saying the party “highly values” Radev’s participation in the upcoming elections and sees him as a possible coalition partner after the vote.
At the start of the conference, EuroLeft Chair Alexander Tomov said his party’s goal is for the political entity around Radev and BSP-United Left to form the foundation of a future governing majority. He said he expects EuroLeft to enter Parliament and spoke of a target of 200,000–250,000 votes, arguing that the new BSP leadership is different and not affiliated to Peevski or GERB leader Boyko Borissov. Tomov added that he approves of caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov’s governing agenda.
Addressing EuroLeft’s conference, Zarkov said Bulgarian society “lives with a sense of having no alternative” and that people are convinced that processes which undermine quality of life are natural rather than the product of political decisions. It is not “climate problems” that make it easier to enter a law faculty than to secure a nursery place in Sofia, he said, but political choices that require political solutions.
Zarkov called for cooperation on an economic platform, saying he expects proposals and that the work ahead can be accomplished “only if we do it together”. He also urged a fresh approach to relations on the left, grounded in equality, mutual respect and tolerance.
EuroLeft said the conference adopted key principles of an economic development programme that will be circulated among all coalition partners. BSP-United Left and EuroLeft Firm Up April 19 Election Line-up, Eye Broader Left Majority 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-21 21:05:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law