Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Korneliya Ninova at the Buzludzha events on Saturday, July 30, 2016. Photo: BGNES
As many as 50 000 reportedly joined the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)'s leadership at the historic venue of Mount Buzludzha, the party itself estimates.
The meeting comes amid a leadership change, with Korneliya Ninova having become the first woman to take over the party in April.
Addressing a crowd of cheering supporters, Ninova asserted her party would work with an alliance of left-wing organizations against the candidate of GERB, the country's senior government partner and the biggest parliamentary force, at the presidential elections.
Ninova did not announce the name of a candidate, according to daily 24 Chasa.
Supporters wore hats marked by the hashtag "АзСъмБСП", a Bulgarian-language version of #IAmBSP, a slogan that has sparked controversy among the public due to the party's mixed record as heir to totalitarian Bulgarian Communist Party.
In 1891 on Mount Buzludzha the foundations of the Socialist Movement in Bulgaria were laid. Erected at the site and unveiled in 1981 on the occasion of the 1300th anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian State, the monument resembles a UFO and is an easy target of jokes both home and abroad.