Tough negotiations started within the ruling coalition together following internal problems within the Bulgarian Socialist party (BSP) and in National Movement for Stability and Progress (NMSP), formerly the National Movement Simeon II.

The entire BSP’s management, excluding Prime Minister and party leader Sergei Stanishev resigned on June 2 due to dissatisfactory results in the members of European Parliament (MEP) elections, Dnevnik daily reported.

The third party in the ruling coalition, Movement for Rights and Freedom (MRF) will possibly be the only unaffected.

Cabinet changes began with the resignations of two ministers. Stanishev announced on June 2 that he accepted Energy Minister Roumen Ovcharov’s resignation and the one of Justice Minister Georgi Petkanov.

NMSP leader Simeon Saxe-Coburg said that he was surprised by the widespread opinion among party members that NMSP had to leave the coalition.

Stanishev said that ruling parties had to reconsider their priorities mainly those concerning healthcare, education and social policy.

The three parties announced on June 3 that the coalition was stable and was not going to break up.