Former Prime Minister Ivan Kostov can make a splendid Sofia mayor candidate according to the leader of his party, the rightist opposition Union of Democratic Forces (UDF).

The party was hit by a crisis after it had dumped its already selected mayor candidate and now strives to elect a new nomination. According to UDF leader Nadezha Mihaylova, former foreign minister in Kostov's cabinet, the party now needs the active cooperation of all of its reputable personalities.

One of the most esteemed men in the UDF is namely the former prime minister, Mihaylova pointed out. "The party should unite around a common policy which we call a cause. The symbol and the emanation of that policy will be our Sofia mayor candidate," the UDF leader said.

Recently Mihaylova has ousted the previously selected mayor candidate Plamen Oresharski over an alleged unallowed meeting with Bulgarian business tycoon Vassil Bozhkov. "We are against clandestine meetings as they always leave this taste in your mouth of bargaining and making commitments," she pointed out.

Former Prime Minister Ivan Kostov has kept aloof from active politics ever since he lost the last parliamentary poll two years ago.

Political parties in Bulgaria currently prepare for this fall's mayoral and municipal elections.