Bulgaria's ruling Socialist Party is to elect on Saturday a new executive body after all its members, except for the leader, resigned due to the party poor showing in the country's first MEP vote.

The resignations were tabled on June 3, a day after Prime Minister and Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev parted with two ministers in the wake of a corruption scandal that shook his centre-left government.

After sacking two deputy ministers, Stanishev accepted the resignations of Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov and Justice Minister Georgi Petkanov.

All eyes are now on Rumen Ovcharov and Interior Minister Rumen Petkov, who are rumoured to be in a long-standing feud.

Both of them are members of the Socialist Party executive bureau.

The Socialist party and the government that they lead were dealt a heavy blow in Bulgaria's first European parliament elections on May 20 after a new rightwing party led by Boyko Borisov, the mayor of Sofia, scored, albeit a marginal, victory.

Borissov's party, GERB, founded last year, captured 21.7 per cent of the vote, against 21.4 per cent for the Socialists.

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