At an April 1 2010 news conference, a day after the ruling majority in Parliament failed to get the legally required 161 votes in support of its motion for Purvanov's impeachment, Purvanov described the basis for the motion as "out of place" and said that he was ready for a dialogue with the executive branch.

The main reason for the motion was Purvanov's decision to publish on the presidency's website the transcript of his March 5 2010 meeting with Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov, who later said he did not know and had not been informed about being recorded.

"It is obvious from the transcript that I am first speaking in my personal capacity and later on, make the remark that I am speaking in my capacity as President and this was what made the meeting in my office in the presence of several officials, an official meeting," Purvanov said.

"Dyankov was never referred to in the conversation in his personal, but his in professional, capacity as Minister of Finance," Purvanov said.

"Those who tabled the motion for my impeachment said that they wanted to define the boundaries of my Presidential powers," he said and said that this issue had already been dealt with by the Constitutional Court years ago.

"Here we are talking about an attempt to limit the the political territory of the Presidency. I will fight every attempt against the institution."

He said that the President, as the head of state, was entitled to political statements and functions. "He cannot be a political party leader but he can be a party member. Nevertheless, from the moment I stepped into office in 2002, I decided to be neither," he said.

According to him, personal relationships had an influence in politics but they should not define it. It was not good when passion predominated in politics, and bridges should not be burned, he said in reference to his relationship with the executive branch.

"National unity does not necessarily means political consensus," Purvanov said. "Those who think that they can shut my mouth with a series of initiatives for my impeachment will see that they will be wrong. Those who expect that I would radicalise my policy and will make the state hostage to my personal ambitions don't know me very well," Purvanov said.

The Presidency would continue to be a factor of stability and calm, he said. "We must sit down and talk. I am open for dialogue".

"I don't have the ambition to be an alternative (to the Government) let alone an opposition. However, I will stand my ground when I have a different opinion," he said.

According to Purvanov, the Government was obviously not coping with economic crisis and was sending out contradictory messages. He was referring to the package of 60 anti-crisis measure adopted by the Government, trade unions and employers organisations on March 31 2010 after weeks of discussions.

Purvanov said that he supported the anti-crisis measures but said that they would have only a short-term effect and that by the summer of autumn of 2010, the time would come for a new set of measures.

The Government has lost the first eight months of its term (which started in end-July 2009) because it had relied on Dyankov's optimistic prognosis that the crisis was nearing its end, Purvanov said.

The anti-crisis measures adopted would not be sufficient to cope with the crisis, he said.