Bulgaria Socialists May Back Ex Commissioner for President

Politics » DOMESTIC | April 10, 2011, Sunday // 19:23
Bulgaria: Bulgaria Socialists May Back Ex Commissioner for President Meglena Kuneva became the first Bulgarian member of the European Commission on January 1, 2007. She served as Commissioner for consumer protection. File photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's socialists have hinted the prospect of Meglena Kuneva, Bulgaria's former European Commissioner, running for president of the country is more than appealing to them even though she is yet to make up her mind whether to do so.

The runner, whom the party will support for the presidential race, will be a BSP member or one who has embraced the left-wing ideas and will be well received by its core voters, it emerged following a meeting of the party top brass.

One of the criteria, which the meeting approved for eligible presidential candidates, is that he/she should be popular in the European Union institutions, a loophole, which will make possible the nomination of Meglena Kuneva.

The previously ruling Socialist party, which was brought down by the center-right GERB of Boyko Borisov, will vote for its pair of candidates for president and vice-president at a congress in July.

Bulgaria's former EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said at the end of March that she has not decided yet whether to run for President in the upcoming elections in the fall of 2011.

Kuneva told the Bulgarian National Radio that, should she decide to run for Presidency, her bid will be non-partisan.

There have been recent reports that the National Movement for Stability and Prosperity of ex PM and ex Tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg wanted to nominate Kuneva for president, and that even the Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Sergey Stanishev insisted on supporting her bid – while outgoing President Georgi Parvanov, a former Socialist leader, urged for a leftist candidate.

Meanwhile, a Facebook group has vehemently risen against the prospect of Meglena Kuneva running for president of the country.

Bulgaria's constitution requires that candidates for president are eligible only if they have lived in the country over the last five years, a condition that Kuneva does not meet as she lived in Brussels, her opponents say.

According to the most recent poll conducted by Sofia-based Center for Analyses and Marketing 12.7% of the surveyed citizens said they fancied Kuneva as President, which makes her the third most popular option.

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Tags: president, Meglena, Kuneva, Bulgaria, Brussels, vice

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