Sofia, 6 January 1996 (RFE/RL) - The interior minister in Bulgaria's Socialist Government, Nikolay Dobrev, has agreed to be nominated as prime minister to lead a new government.
The annoucement was made today in Sofia by Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Georgi Parvanov.
Parvanov said party leaders will make the final decision on Dobrev's nomination tomorrow.
Reports had said Dobrev was among likely candidates, as he had built party and popular support for his strong stand on fighting corruption and organized crime. But, our Sofia correspondent also notes that Dobrev's possible candidacy had been criticized because of his lack of experience in economic and financial fields.
Members of the main opposition Union of Democratic Forces tell our correspondent that Dobrev has signaled willingness to offer opposition leaders ministries in the new government.
The opposition has urged early Parliamentary elections.
Outgoing Prime Minister Zhan Videnov offered his resignation as Prime Minister and as Party leader at a Congress last month. Videnov had been widely criticized for his handling of the economy.
One of the new government's first tasks will be to negotiate implementation of a strict fixed-exchange-rate regime proposed by the International Monetary Fund to try to prevent collapse of the national currency.