It was almost sure that the Interior Minister Roumen Petkov would be dismissed, sources from the ruling coalition told Dnevnik daily on March 28. All other employees of the ministry, who were discredited in the ongoing corruption row in the ministry, would also be dismissed.

The last protection of Petkov disappeared when Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan decided that Petkov had to be sacrificed to prevent the fall of the Cabinet. The change in the Cabinet would be made soon and could affect other ministries too, the same sources told Dnevnik.

The newspaper quoted politicians as saying that Petkov would for sure be dismissed after Dogan had said before his close associates that radical measures were needed and everyone involved should be changed to keep the Cabinet.

For some time already, high-level Socialists have been saying that Prime Minister and Socialist leader Sergei Stanishev could not neglect the signs of displeasure from the European Commission, but needed the support of his coalition partners from the MRF and the National Movement for Stability and Progress (NMSP). NMSP support was virtually guaranteed, as Petkov was not getting along very well with them. However, Petkov was close to MRF.

Unofficially a number of leftist members of Parliament have also criticised Petkov. The minister, however, has strong positions in the party and a severe resistance from his camp is to be expected.

Dnevnik also quoted member of the Parliament's internal security and public order committee as saying that a former high-level official in the ministry, who was close to the opposition parties, had information discrediting MRF. Dogan was trying to put an end to the controversy before his own party was affected, the source said.

However, after Petkov spoke before the committee on March 27, the politicians were not so sure that his dismissal would take place within days. MRF members, who insisted on urgent dismissal of Petkov in the morning, in the afternoon already preferred a “more discreet” approach, according to Dnevnik. They just did not want the initiative for Petkov’s dismissal to be attributed to them, Dnevnik quoted unnamed MPs as saying. Another MP said that the solution should leave no suspicions of pressure being piled up on Stanisgev.

The internal security committee of the Parliament would prepare a report on Petkov’s work, which would be used as an argument when his fate was decided. If the report was critical, Petkov’s resignation would be asked for, MPs said.

EC president José Manuel Barroso was anxious about the recent turn of events at  the Interior Ministry and would demand more information on the case from Stanishev during his visit to Sofia on March 28, EC spokesperson Marc Gray told Bulgarian National Radio. One of Barroso’s main goals would be to support Stanishev to make the necessary reforms and show progress in the judicial and internal affairs areas.

According to Reuters, Barroso would pressure Bulgaria to step up its fight against the corruption. The EC froze part of it funding in suspicions of malfeasances in a clear sign that it was losing its patience. Diplomatic sources said that Bulgaria could be subjected to penalty measures, which could affect the 11 billion euro worth of Eureopean Union funding Bulgaria was due to receive until 2013, Reuters said.

It was unclear whether the Cabinet changes would affect only the Interior Ministry. Defence Minister Vesselin Bliznakov and Health Minister Radoslav Gaidarski could also be replaced in the re-shuffle, Dnevnik said.