The Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, has decided to not ask the resignation of its leader, Sergey Stanishev, amidst mass and relentless protest rallies in the capital Sofia.

Six people voted against him and eight abstained. Former President and former BSP leader, Georgi Parvanov, labeled the 9-hour-long sitting a farce and a failure.

The majority of the members of the party national council, however, joined around the opinion that a resignation was not a way to demonstrate political responsibility.

One of them is quoted by bTV in saying that the party must rather consider consolidation and intensifying communications with the government, instead of attempting changes.

Meanwhile, scores protested once again outside the BSP headquarters in downtown Sofia. Some even threw bottles and rocks at the building. Shattered glass injured a journalist, but his injuries are not serious.

Demonstrators waved posters and shouted "resignation" and "red trash."

bTV sites own sources informing that local socialist leaders will be sanctioned from now own if they decide to act "solo," like those leading local party branches that demanded Stanishev's resignation.

bTV further reports that the European Parliament President Martin Schulz has refused to travel to Sofia Saturday, where his Party of European Socialists, PES, is holding a meeting. BSP sources firmly deny such reports.

In addition to leading the Bulgarian Socialists, Stanishev is the leader of PES. Most members of the PES leadership are, however, still expected to attend.

The decision to not oust Stanishev comes on the backdrop of huge, 6-day-long and counitng anti-BSP and anti-government protests in the country, initially sparked by the outrageous election of controversial media mogul and lawmaker from DPS, Delyan Peevski, to lead the National Security Agency, DANS.

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