"First round of the presidential elections is a kind of a confidence vote and if mandate-holder Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) party loses it, I will hand in my resignation on the very same night," the prime minister said, as quoted by the Bulgarian FOCUS news agency.
The CEDB party nominated Parliament Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva as a presidential candidate. When asked if she would continue implementing the policies of current President Rosen Plevneliev, the prime minister praised the latter for developing and maintaining good relationships with many organizations and countries, but stressed that Plevneliev's harshness had negatively affected relationship with Russia.
Bulgaria’s ties with Russia soured after the start of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 when the European Union accused Moscow of meddling in Ukraine’s domestic affairs. Russia denied having a hand in the eastern conflict.
