Sofia, 3 September 1.996 (RFE/RL) -- Bulgaria's ruling Socialist Party (BSP) meets today to nominate a new presidential candidate to run in the October 27 presidential elections.
The country's Supreme Court yesterday upheld a Central Electoral Commission ruling that popular Foreign Minister George Pirinski is constitutionally ineligible to run because he is not a native Bulgarian. Pirinsky was born in the United States and has an American mother. The Supreme Court's ruling was final under the law.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party has denounced the court decision as politically motivated. Culture Minister Ivan Marazov, who had planned to run as Pirinski's vice presidential candidate, said he was undecided about whether to seek that office with a new nominee.