January 29 (BTA) - Hristo Ivanov remains at the helm of the Yes, Bulgaria! party, although he bid to resign in the wake of the parliamentary elections in November 2021. Saturday's decision was made by a closed-door vote at a national conference of the party. Ivanov was the only candidate for the leader's post. His nomination was supported by 692 delegates; 14 voted against and 42 abstained from voting. Attendance was partly in person, partly online.

Yes, Bulgaria! is a member of the Democratic Bulgaria coalition, which also includes Democrats for Strong Bulgaria and The Greens. Democratic Bulgaria has the sixth-largest group out of a total of seven groups in the National Assembly. It is part of the ruling coalition.

Earlier in the proceedings of the conference, Ivanov said in a report: "Last year caused a shock to our political system with the sheer number of elections held. After the third elections, I tabled my resignation with the full awareness of what that meant. I did it because we did not react well enough and relevantly enough to that jigsaw puzzle of challenges."

Still, the party and its partners achieved their strategic goal: the forces associated with the status-quo were successfully kept from power, Ivanov said. He noted that real reforms have begun, including changes to the Judicial System Act and the first steps towards amending the Constitution. The Anti-corruption Commission is also to be reformed.

Ivanov deplored the exclusion of the Turkish minority from the executive government. "The democratic community should open up and let the Bulgarian Turks, the Muslims integrate," he urged.

He said that Democratic Bulgaria is probably one of the most successful coalitions in Bulgarian politics but it has some structural problems. As for the larger ruling coalition, it is in a state of flux. The main objective of Yes, Bulgaria! is to remain authentic, Ivanov argued. The party is ready for broad dialogue on revising the Constitution involving all political forces. This certainly requires Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev to be removed from office, Ivanov stressed.

He said he accepted to be nominated for a second term as leader of Yes, Bulgaria! because there is unfinished work.

He listed seven major challenges confronting the nation and the party: working out a sustainable model for economic development and technological transformation; addressing the population crisis; outgrowing the role of passive observers at the geopolitical level and becoming active players; reforming the domestic political model; raising the quality of living; finding ways for Democratic Bulgaria, particularly Yes, Bulgaria!, to play a leading role in national decision-making; and finding the best configuration for Yes, Bulgaria! to run in the next local elections. VE