DPS's former chair Lyutvi Mestan at a commemorative event in Southern Bulgaria, December 26, 2015 Photo: BGNES
Three lawmakers from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) have said they are leaving the party's group in Parliament to become independent.
This comes days after the DPS removed Lyutvi Mestan as its leader and also expelled him following an extraordinary session.
Earlier this week reports emerged that honorary chair and DPS co-founder Ahmed Dogan had criticized Mestan over his decision to side with Turkey, in a written statement on behalf of the DPS, in its dispute with Russia over the downed Su-24 fighter-bomber.
Hyusein Hafazov, Shabanali Ahmed and Aydoan Ali announced their decision at a press conference on Saturday that was also attended by Mestan, the Bulgarian National Radio reports.
Mestan for his part is quoted as saying he is to start "dialogue with voters" and only then to decide whether or not to form his own party.
Earlier, he attended commemorative ceremonies marking the anniversary of the death of three people during protests against the so-called "Revival Process" in the 1980s.
For now, he and the other three who will not be DPS lawmakers will be independent MPs.
The party did not immediately announce a decision to expel them for their move to quit the group.
DPS's group will thus be left with 34 MPs in the 240-member Palriament.