Assen Vassilev Remains the Only Leader of "We Continue the Change" until September

The political party “We Continue the Change” (WCC) will elect a new leadership at an electoral General Assembly to be held on September 27 and 28. This was announced by Asen Vassilev following today’s party meeting. Until September 27, Vassilev will remain the sole leader of the party.

Vassilev also stated that Kiril Petkov has expressed that he does not wish to be re-elected as party leader, noting that Petkov has taken on the greatest political responsibility: “This shows that the cause of Bulgaria is more important to him than any position.”

Commenting on the leaked audio recording of a conversation between the Deputy Mayor of Sofia and the Mayor of the Lyulin district, Vassilev said that “it appears to be authentic,” but emphasized that the accusations against “We Continue the Change” are unfounded, as no appointments followed the alleged pressure.

“I want to address the other parties. I know they want to destroy us, because we are in their way—this isn’t new. As far back as 2022, they said we’re a problem because we refuse to play their game. If our party believed corruption was acceptable, today we’d be completing a successful term under Kiril Petkov’s cabinet,” Vassilev added.

Lena Borislavova, whose name is also mentioned in the recording, stated this evening that she has not participated in any such conversations or schemes and has not exerted pressure on anyone.

“Imagine me supposedly pressuring four male colleagues who hold elected positions. I can’t pressure them physically or institutionally, because they were elected and can’t be dismissed. I don’t control the Prosecutor’s Office or the Anti-Corruption Commission.”

Vassilev described rumors about the disintegration of “We Continue the Change” as “quite exaggerated”:

“Since Monday, we’ve received 68 membership withdrawal requests—but also 40 applications to join. We have 6,000 members who pay dues each month.”

When asked why Kiril Petkov appeared alone to announce his resignation, Vassilev explained that it was Petkov’s personal decision. He also pointed out that “Democratic Bulgaria” issued a statement reaffirming the strength and continuity of the PP-DB coalition.

Regarding today’s interview with the former mayor of Mladost district, Ivaylo Kukurin, who claims he was offered a bribe of BGN 300,000, Vassilev responded:

“If someone offered him a bribe, he should go to the Prosecutor’s Office and say, ‘Pesho offered me this amount.’ The Prosecutor’s Office will then summon the said Pesho and launch an investigation. These things are not to be handled via the media.”

***

On June 25, former Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov announced his resignation as co-leader of the "We Continue the Change" (WCC) party and as a member of the National Assembly. His decision follows escalating tensions within the party and mounting allegations of corruption.

The developments stem from recent resignations by Ivailo Kukurin, mayor of Sofia’s Mladost district, and Georgi Todorov, mayor of the Lyulin district. Both officials alleged that they had faced pressure to manipulate public procurement procedures to favor specific firms linked to the party’s interests.

The controversy deepened on June 24 when Sofia Deputy Mayor Nikola Barbutov was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption. Two other municipal officials were also detained. A day later, Barbutov reportedly resigned from his post.

On June 25, several Bulgarian-language media outlets received a leaked audio recording,allegedly capturing a conversation between Barbutov and Todorov about the suspected procurement scheme.

In response to the unfolding scandal, Democratic Bulgaria, WCC’s coalition partner in the second-largest parliamentary group, publicly urged WCC to reassess its internal procedures and approach to political appointments.

The recording of the conversation between Sofia Deputy Mayor Nikola Barbutov and the mayor of the Lyulin district, Georgi Todorov—which ultimately led to the resignation of We Continue the Change (WCC) co-leader Kiril Petkov—was made by the Anti-Corruption Commission, BNT has learned.

The recording was obtained in the course of an ongoing corruption investigation within Sofia Municipality. According to sources, authorities were able to "penetrate" the mobile phones of WCC-affiliated district mayors. As a result, Todorov was placed under surveillance without his knowledge. The recording is expected to be included as evidence in the investigation.