Parts of Bulgaria’s Socialist Party (BSP) are calling for the resignation of party leader Atanas Zafirov and the immediate convening of a congress.

Zafirov currently remains at the helm of the party, but internal pressure has been mounting since the resignation of the government, in which he served as Deputy Prime Minister. Several party structures have publicly demanded both a congress and a leadership change, signaling growing dissatisfaction within the ranks. The issue was expected to be a key topic at the National Council meeting, but this session has now been postponed, “24 Chasa” reports.

The plenum had been scheduled to meet the day before BSP representatives attended consultations with President Rumen Radev, ahead of the process for awarding mandates in the 51st National Assembly. With the two largest parliamentary forces declining to participate in a new government and returning their mandates, early elections are effectively imminent. The party leadership now faces the dual challenge of guiding internal discussions while preparing for the upcoming vote, particularly in light of polling data suggesting BSP risks falling near the 4 percent electoral threshold.

The plenum’s postponement became clear after members had not received either the agenda or a meeting notification by 7 p.m. on Monday. Zafirov had initially announced the convening of the session following a brief statement on Friday.

Should Zafirov step down, leadership would temporarily pass to one of his five deputies: Ivan Takov, Kaloyan Pargov, Ivan Peshev, Dragomir Stoynev, or Ivan Ivanov. This interim arrangement would guide the party through both internal deliberations and preparations for the imminent elections.