Left-wing political parties in Bulgaria are unable to agree on a common nomination for the forthcoming presidential elections, a Bulgarian political analyst has said.

The new leadership of main opposition Socialists now faces the serious challenge of simultaneously strengthening the party and ensuring its good performance in the elections, Tatyana Burudzhieva told public radio broadcaster BNR on Wednesday.

“This can’t be achieved with people personifying division,” Burudzhieva opined.

If the potential candidates for a joint left-wing nomination proposed by other formations were acceptable to the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), such nomination would have been agreed upon much earlier, Burudzhieva added.

She spoke a day after the left-wing Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABV) party, which had split from the BSP in 2014, said it endorsed its leader and former President Georgi Parvanov as its proposal to the BSP for a joint presidential nomination.

According to Burudzhieva, the possibility for a unified left-wing vote strongly depends on the name which the BSP will propose, particularly in a run-off.

“There is no indication of a candidate who will spectacularly enter the race. The candidate could be determined by an event linked to an external political factor rather than by national-level capabilities to propose a unique personality,” said Burudzhieva.

Bulgaria will hold presidential elections this autumn, with parliament expected to decide on the voting day on Friday. None of the major political parties including BSP, the largest opposition force in the current Parliament, has announced a nomination for the race.