The National Executive Council of the right-wing Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) has invited any members who do not feel UDF as a personal cause to 'drop their masks' and openly state their political intentions.

"Hypocrisy is not a value shared by UDF," the right-wing party says in a Thursday declaration on the occasion of Nayden Zelenogorski's decision to leave UDF for the Bulgaria for Citizens project of ex EU Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva.

On Wednesday, Zelenogorski resigned from the post of UDF Deputy Chairman and on the following day he declared that he was leaving the right-wing party's ranks to join Meglena Kuneva's team.

Thursday's declaration of the UDF governing body cites former UDF leader Martin Dimitrov as saying that "All right-wing politicians switching over to Kuneva's formation are like cats outside kebab shops" and asks Dimitrov about what Zelenogorski is like.

"UDF is not, and will never be a leader-driven or a functionary-driven type of party. UDF is a union of people with a free spirit and mind who stand up for principles and values. Everyone who does not feel part of this community should find their way to wherever they feel they will be most useful," the executive council of the right-wing party notes.

In his farewell address, Zelenogorski explained that he had made the decision to quit UDF after the split of the Blue Coalition (uniting the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB).

"I decided to leave, because I used to work for the Blue Coalition and I believed that it had to expand and build upon its achievements and unite the authentic right-wingers, but the National Council decided otherwise in Plovdiv. The decision was to disband the Blue Coalition," Zelenogorski said earlier on Thursday.

Zelenogorski has been seen as one of the most successful right-wing politicians in Bulgaria with three terms in office as Mayor of Pleven, but in October 2011 he lost the mayoral race to Dimitar Stoykov, nominated by the ruling center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB).

At the beginning of September, Zelenogorski, who was one of the very few right-wing mayors to have tasted re-election, threatened to sue the country in Strasbourg over what he saw as a dirty trick by his rivals.

He announced plans to file a lawsuit at the Human Rights court in Strasbourg after the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) registered a coalition, which used and abused his name. The Commission also dismissed his appeal against the registration of the coalition "For Zelenogorski", which had nothing to do with his candidacy.

The incumbent mayor disagreed that his name was used by a coalition in which he had never participated because it would mislead voters. Zelenogorski argued that he was the only Bulgarian having this surname.

CEC, however, found no formal reason to turn down the coalition's application for registration because the formation was the only one with this name.

Pleven, located in northern Bulgaria, is the seventh most populous city in the country. It is the third largest city in northern Bulgaria after Varna and Ruse.

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