Bulgaria's prime minister has expressed conviction that his party has among its ranks at least five likely nominees able to sweep next years' elections for the high, though largely ceremonial, office of president.

"GERB party can pick at least five of its members, who will succeed in winning the presidential elections", Boyko Borisov told reporters on Saturday as he unveiled a 31-km stretch of the Maritsa Motorway.

"We are not afraid of elections, no matter the timing, because when people go to the polls, they choose between what has been promised and what has been done," he added.

The statement came a day after the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and former Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, announced two possible party nominations for the 2011 presidential elections – Ivaylo Kalfin and Stefan Danailov.

Bulgaria's Prime Minister and ruling party leader Boyko Borisov was the first to announce a likely candidate. He said in May that his center-right ruling party GERB will nominate Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in the upcoming presidential vote in 2011.

Later however he added that the candidature is open to discussions, while analysts were quick to blame him of trying to divert attention from the economic crisis plaguing the country.

At the beginning of September Borisov even hinted to journalists that he might run for president next year, making a vague statements about a possible presidential bid in the 2011 elections at the Kamchiya resort complex.

This was not the first time Borisov made slips for his potential presidency bid. Occasionally, he makes such hints to the media fueling speculations about turning Bulgaria into a presidential republic.

Bulgaria's presidential elections are expected to be held together with the local vote next year, most probably in October.

Bulgaria's leftist President Georgi Parvanov made history on October 29, 2006 for he became the first head of state to be re-elected after a defeat of nationalist leader Volen Siderov with a record-high 75% of the votes.

Parvanov's victory may have been easy and predictable, but was preceded by an embarrassing run-off with nationalist Volen Siderov.

Experts played down Siderov's showing but he dealt a heavy blow to all mainstream parties, which was widely described as an aggression against the status quo, the end of Bulgaria's much-famed ethnic model and a breakthrough in the presidency.

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