Shady businessman and former employee of the State Agency for National Security (DANS), Aleksei Petrov, has finally announced he would not run for president in the fall.

Petrov further appealed to Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, to follow his example, after explaining for months he would enter the race if Borisov decides to run.

Last week, Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, announced for the first time the PM is a possible nominee of the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party. Borisov, himself, informed the party's candidature would be revealed in August while other GERB members, close to him, assured he would not run for president and will finish his term.

Petrov now appeals to Borisov to get busy with helping people survive, not with his own survival.

The former DANS employee insists GERB and his leader are abusing power; use the treasury for cabinet PR, and the State is repressing the small and medium business with the goal to collect funds for their election campaign.

Petrov further says if Borisov is to become president, the new PM will be his puppet as it is not the Mayor of Sofia.

He explained his decision to not enter the race with the desire to "not generate tensions," adding one of his main goals now was to work on a referendum to call a Great National Assembly in 2012.

Regarding the criminal charges against him, Petrov says the process is at stalemate because the authorities were waiting for the special tribunal to be launched.

"Borisov is looking for ways to eliminate me from the political scene – my arrest is simply one of these attempts," the man dubbed the "Octopus" pointed out.

In the beginning of February, Petrov's initiative elections committee with its coordinator Professor, Milen Semkov, announced that the team to participate in the elections for President of Bulgaria includes Aleksei Petrov, Nikolay Georgiev, and "a respected lady whose name will be revealed later, over fears of repressions."

Aleksei Petrov says the top task of the team would be to overcome the socio-economic crisis in Bulgaria and unite its citizens in stopping the "the cold civil war and the exhausting 20-year-long transition period."

Shady businessman and former employee of the State Agency for National Security (DANS), Aleksei Petrov, is one of the most controversial figures of the last 20 years. He was arrested in February 2010, in a special police operation codenamed "Octopus," after being investigated on a number of organized crime charges. He spent 9 months in jail before being released on house arrest and later on own recognizance.

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