Around 50 supporters of Kornelia Ninova gathered in front of the Bulgarian Socialist Party’s headquarters before the start of today's National Council meeting. Kornelia Ninova resigned as BSP leader following the party's poor performance in the last parliamentary elections.

Protesters insisted on entering the party's headquarters to take part in the meeting, but police blocked them from entering the building. A penalty is expected to be imposed on Kornelia Ninova at the meeting.

''We have collected over 400 signatures from BSP members and supporters from across Bulgaria who support the protest. The petition is not only against the exclusion of Kornelia Ninova but also against the fact that the party is currently being usurped in an entirely improper manner'', said supporters of Kornelia Ninova. They reject the decisions of the temporary leadership and claim that the candidate lists for the upcoming elections have already been arranged in secret.

Protesters chanted ''Traitors'', ''Resignation'', ''Mafia'' and ''Capitalists cannot be at the helm of BSP''. 

Earlier, BSP youths covered the headquarters with stickers reading ''BSP without Ninova''.

''Rest assured that we will register the party for elections with candidates proposed by you. The party will not be prevented from participating at elections due to the personal ambitions of some individuals", said Kornelia Ninova who, together with her colleague Georgi Svilenki, spoke with the protesters.