PES president Sergei Stanishev said:
“Securing 80 seats out of 240 is a strong success for the BSP and for the PES. The process of socialists regaining positions in Bulgaria started in December, when the new Bulgarian president was elected on a socialist ticket. We see a clear trend and a strong demand for social justice in Bulgaria, with voters trusting BSP as the only genuine force on the left, leaving a number of smaller political projects from all parts of the political spectrum outside of Parliament. What is also clear is that the major conservative force once again falls well short of an absolute majority.
“Even if the right wing manages to form a government in Bulgaria in coalition with the nationalists and the populists, they will face strong opposition to their typically EPP austerity policy,” Stanishev added.
He said that the Bulgarian Socialist Party will have to play an important role as defender of our common socialist values such as democracy, solidarity, freedom and social justice.
“Being the voice of almost 1 million people entails great responsibility: BSP will have to be a key player in the upcoming period, when both the future of the European Union and Brexit negotiations will be high on the agenda. At the same time, Bulgaria will hold the presidency of the Council of the EU from January 2018. This is a great opportunity for socialists in Bulgaria to push for a more united Europe, a more social Europe, and more solidarity and social justice – things which conservatives across Europe have failed to deliver so far.”