Bulgaria's minister without portfolio, Bozhidar Dimitrov, who stepped down for having links with the Soviet-era secret police, will be most likely succeeded by the head of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Rossen Ivanov.

Dimitrov, a historian in charge of Bulgarians living abroad, stepped down after the government set out to recall senior diplomats in foreign posts who served as secret police agents before the collapse of communism. Deputy Interior Minister Pavlin Dimitrov also quit for the same reason.

Rossen Ivanov, the only candidature for the post for the time being, has been fingered by Bozhidar Dimitrov himself.

"Nobody has spoken to me about this proposal, but it is right of the prime minister to pick the new minister," Ivanov commented.

Rossen Ivanov was born in 1966 in the town of Pernik. A law graduate from Sofia University. He served as councilor at the political cabinet of Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov and is one of the movers of the amendments to the Law for Bulgarian citizenship. Ivanov was appointed head of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad at the end of May 2010.

Bozhidar Dimitrov, the Director of the National History Museum and former collaborator of the secret services, triggered a political storm after being proposed for minister in the new government last summer.

"Why the hell should I give up the ministerial post? All the fuss about the secret files is being orchestrated by no other than people close to the former secret services," an emotional Dimitrov said in an interview for local Trud daily when asked about the strong public opposition to his nomination.

Almost half of Bulgaria's ambassadors and consuls provided information to communist secret services before the fall of the regime in 1990, according to data released last week in the capital Sofia by the committee overseeing secret records.

The former agents also include Bulgaria's current ambassadors to neighbouring Turkey, Greece and Romania, as well as its representatives in Moscow, Geneva, Beijing, Tokyo, at the Vatican and the United Nations.

The quota of informants in the diplomatic service appears to have been much higher than in other areas - such as politics and the media, where about 10 per cent of all employees served as agents.

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, sent Sunday a letter to President Georgi Parvanov, featuring a list of Ambassadors, who were exposed as collaborators and agents of the Communist secret services, demanding their recall.

The recall can be done only by a decree signed by Parvanov, however, the latter already declared several times he opposes the recall.

Borisov informed Brussels and NATO have been alarmed over the President's statements these Ambassadors have contributions for Bulgaria's joining of the EU and the Alliance.

Parvanov was also exposed in 2006 as a former State Security agent, working under the alias Gotse.

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