Diana Tonova is the new chairperson of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) – Sofia, BSP leader Cornelia Ninova announced to journalists. Tonova was elected with 82 votes by the delegates of the city conference of the party.
After holding conferences in Sofia and after nominations, the party members of the conference, who are 147, elected the new leadership of the BSP, the leader of the party also said. Tanya Naydenova was elected chairman of the Control Commission with 66 votes, and 44 people voted for her rival, Ninova explained. According to her, the election was extremely democratic and proof that it is best to give the party members the right to decide. BSP has also elected a new City Council of a total of 74 people, the names of which will become clear later, Ninova pointed out.
The leader of the BSP also pointed out that Diana Tonova was the only one who did not vote for the municipal councilor from the group of “Proceeding the change – Democratic Bulgaria” (“Save Sofia”) Tsvetomir Petrov, who was elected as the chairman of the Metropolitan Municipal Council in February .
Ninova also announced that reports and elections will be held throughout the party in the autumn, including in Sofia. Tonova can apply then and we will see if the organization will choose her, added the BSP leader. After the elections, a new congress is coming for the party, Ninova said.
Diana Tonova believes that the “political chaos” in which we currently live must be overcome. According to her, this can be done with a strong socialist party that will set a new direction and return to where it belongs. I think that the city organization of the BSP can be a vanguard at this moment, Tonova said and added that she will count on all the members of the organization.
When asked how she would differentiate herself from the previous BSP leader – Sofia Ivan Takov, she replied that they should not differentiate themselves, but should unite. “Everything that until now was done in a way that did not consolidate the organization will not be tolerated, Tonova pointed out. She added that she hopes the party has learned from the mistakes it made.
The election of a new chairman’s council was reached after part of the municipal councilors from the “BSP for Bulgaria” group supported the candidacy of the municipal councilor from “Proceeding the change – Democratic Bulgaria” (“Save Sofia”) Tsvetomir Petrov for chairman of the Capital Municipal Council . Then the municipal councilor and former leader of “BSP for Bulgaria” Ivan Takov said that they have the decision of the collective body of the BSP City Council to find a solution in the presence of a broad consensus.
Days after that, the leadership of the BSP announced that they were withdrawing their confidence from the party’s municipal councilors in Sofia and scheduling early internal elections.
