Ruling Party Councilors in Bulgaria's Varna 'Ready to Quit En Bloc'

The entire group of city councilors at Varna Municipality from Bulgaria's ruling party GERB is ready to resign, its leader Ivan Portnih announced on Tuesday.

Portnih added that GERB in Varna and on the national level has demonstrated as a political party that it does not intend to cling to power at any cost.

"It is very hard to find a legal regulator to adjourn the entire Municipal Council in Varna but if this happens, the entire group of GERB will resign," he said as cited by Focus.

In his words, the party of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov – whose Cabinet resigned two weeks ago in the midst of mass street protests – is ready for both parliamentary elections, and for local elections in Varna.

Portnih's statement comes as Varna Mayor Kiril Yordanov is expected to announce his resignation on Wednesday.

Yordanov has been often slammed for his close ties with the TIM security and business group, which is alleged to control tightly the affairs of the Varna Municipality.

Mass protests in Varna – reaching a turnout of 70 000 on Sunday – have demanded Yordanov's resignation, and so has the Bulgarian Jan Palach – 36-year-old Plamen Goranov who set himself on fire in front of the municipality building to protest the government of Varna and died in hospital 11 days later.

"GERB has done everything according to the law, and has now withdrawn its political support for the Mayor of Varna. From this point on, the decision for the political situation in the cities is in the hands of Kiril Yordanov," Portnih stated.