Our identity was challenged, says Lyutvi Mestan, leader of the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS.

Mestan spoke at a press conference two hours after midnight Monday in the aftermath of the May 12 early general elections in Bulgaria which ranked his party as the third strongest political formation in the country.

He thanked the DPS voters, applauding their maturity in making their choice.

"Our party survived its strongest test since its founding. These were the first elections since 1997 when we ran in opposition. But the statute of DPS in the country's 42nd General Assembly, its weight as opposition or ruling, and its opportunity to find the much-needed formula for a stable rule of Bulgaria, was not even the most important thing. Our identity was tested here," said Mestan.

The ethnic Turkish leader stressed DPS has made its historic choice, its choice of values and will advance further not as an ethnic party, but as a secular, national, liberal and democratic formation with European orientation.

"This was a difficult road, but the only one to take," he stressed, adding 50% of the party candidates were ethnic Bulgarians.

Mestan declared his party would not, under any conditions, support the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, of former Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, pointing out DPS will work to protect the interests of Bulgarian citizens without parliamentary representation in the future Cabinet and Parliament.

He noted the elections have been a proof that Bulgarian voters reject the one-party model of ruling the country, mainly because GERB instated an authoritarian regime.

GERB came in first in the vote, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, is second while DPS' self-proclaimed archenemies - the far-right nationalist Ataka is fouth.

It seems at the moment that these will be the only 4 formations to enter the next Parliament.

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