Former caretaker justice minister Krum Zarkov has been elected as the new leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party following a vote at the party’s 51st Congress, held in Sofia on Saturday. According to Madlen Stoyanova, chair of the BSP leadership election commission, Zarkov secured 416 of the 721 valid ballots cast by delegates.

In total, 737 party delegates took part in the vote, with 16 ballots declared invalid. Zarkov’s main challenger, Borislav Gutsanov, received 302 votes, while Rusi Statkov garnered three. Alongside the leadership decision, the congress also approved Zarkov’s election as a member of the BSP National Council.

The newly elected BSP leader Krum Zarkov thanked the party’s delegates for the trust placed in him, calling the leadership vote not a personal triumph but a shared responsibility and a victory over apathy and resignation within the party. He stressed that the result showed the Socialist Party still has vitality, a sense of belonging and a mission that goes beyond ideology, rooted in solidarity and the defense of others.

According to Zarkov, the vote sent a strong signal both to loyal supporters and to those who have felt disappointed or hurt in recent years that the party is entering a new phase and that meaningful change is beginning. He said this renewal is driven not by ambition but by necessity, linked to protection, statehood and concrete action, and promised that words would be followed quickly by deeds with broad participation from party members. Zarkov also argued that the outcome carried a wider message for Bulgarian society, proving that principled politics and internal democracy are possible and that BSP can serve as an example of transparent, respectful political process.

He concluded that difficult and sustained work lies ahead, including open dialogue with citizens and a clear commitment to justice, acknowledging that the road will be long and challenging but insisting it will be walked together, marking the start of a new chapter for the party.

Yesterday, the party announced that only three candidates remained in the leadership race after several others voluntarily withdrew. Those finalists were Krum Zarkov, Borislav Gutsanov and Rusi Statkov.

The leadership vote followed the formal resignation of Atanas Zafirov, who stepped down as BSP chair during a speech to the congress delegates. Zafirov said he was relinquishing the role entrusted to him, but stressed that his decision did not signal a retreat from politics or public responsibility. He explained that he was stepping aside not out of rejection of what had been achieved, but to avoid contributing to deeper internal divisions within the party.

Reflecting on his one-year term as leader, Zafirov said he was proud of the results accomplished and pledged to continue defending them, whether in a leadership role or as an ordinary party member. In his view, the central challenge facing BSP was not who leads it, but the strategic direction it must take in the future.

Zafirov warned that the party currently faces pressure, uncertainty and growing doubts, and cautioned against rushed decisions that merely postpone internal crises rather than resolve them. He argued that frequent leadership changes over the years have failed to bring lasting stability, while BSP’s voter base has continued to shrink amid significant global and domestic shifts.

He acknowledged that the party has traditionally emphasized social policy, but said this focus alone is no longer sufficient. According to Zafirov, a modern social state requires a clear economic vision and an industrial policy, areas in which BSP has not been convincing enough. He included himself among those responsible for this shortcoming.

Addressing the party’s participation in government, Zafirov described it as a deliberate and difficult choice made during a period marked by institutional paralysis and political instability. He maintained that being part of government enabled BSP to defend social measures, incomes and basic stability, while also preventing the emergence of a hardline right-wing administration.

Zafirov said that during his leadership the party managed to stabilize its position, tackle serious financial difficulties, ease internal tensions and re-establish itself within the broader left as a unifying force. He noted that BSP avoided financial collapse, ensured participation in elections, supported its local structures and preserved its party newspaper, Duma.

He also rejected claims of behind-the-scenes dependencies, insisting that the leadership had acted solely in the interest of the state and with the understanding that participation in power is justified only when it serves the public and the party’s core principles.

Concluding his address, Zafirov pointed to upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, arguing that BSP needs full mobilization and a clear long-term vision. He reiterated that the leadership issue is secondary to defining the party’s path forward and said he would not stand in the way of that process, while remaining actively involved in shaping BSP’s future.