Bulgaria’s former Socialist president has strongly advised against holding early general elections before May 2014, when the country will vote for members of European parliament.

“Holding elections before May 2014 will bring about a real disaster in Bulgaria. Apart from that we should always think about what the eventual line-up of the caretaker government would be.

Another issue is whether the general and European Parliament elections will be held together, on one and the same day, it is up to the protestors and institutions to decide that. But elections before May 2014 should be out of question,” Georgi Parvanov commented on Saturday.

Anti-government protests have been continuing outside Bulgaria’s parliament for more than a month.

Tuesday marked the 40th straight day of mass protests against Bulgaria’s Socialist-led government – and for the first time, police clashed with demonstrators.

Dozens were injured.

The series of rallies was triggered by the appointment of notorious media mogul Delyan Peevski as Chair of the State Agency for National Security (DANS) back on June 14, but the protesters were not appeased by the subsequent cancellation of the decision and went on to demand the resignation of the Socialist-led cabinet over ties with oligarchs.

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has demanded the immediate resignation of the country’s embattled cabinet and new snap polls.

Borisov, whose opposition center-right GERB party had boycotted Parliament for several weeks until Tuesday, said a resignation would be the only move that could appease protesters.

“Quit if you want to save face,” Borisov said from the parliamentary rostrum, addressing Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski.

“I am sure that if you turn a deaf ear to the voice of the people, Bulgaria will end up in a very difficult situation.”

Borisov and his center-right government stepped down amid mass protests back in February.

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