Bulgarian President: Dogan Assault Was Attack on Democracy

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has once again condemned Saturday's attack against former ethnic Turkish party leader Ahmed Dogan.

Police in Bulgaria detained a man after he pointed a gas pistol at Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Ahmed Dogan  as he was delivering a speech in the capital Sofia on Saturday. No shots were fired. The man was identified as Oktay Enimemehmedov, a 25-year-old ethnic Turkish resident of the city of Burgas.

"The attack against former Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Ahmed Dogan was not simply an assault against the leader and his political party, but also an attack on Bulgaria's democratic values," Plevneliev said on Monday during a speech that marked the first anniversary since he stepped in office.

"As a president who works for the nation's unity, I will be following closely the reactions to this case and I will do anything I can so that we can prevent any escalation of the political tension in the country," he told reporters.

Dogan resigned his post as party chairman four hours after an attempt was made on his life.  His resignation had been rumored as incoming in the past couple of days.

Lyutvi Mestan was elected as chair of Bulgaria's Movement for Rights and Freedoms party on Saturday, ending 23 years of Ahmed Dogan being at the helm of the party.