Peevski clears his "praetorians" from the top of DPS due to tension in the structures

A week after almost the entire DPS structure in "Novi Pazar" (Shumen region) left the party, and following a split in the municipality of "Kirkovo" in the Kardzhali region, DPS leader "Delyan Peevski" undertook a serious purge in the movement's narrow leadership – the "Central Operational Bureau" (COB). The reshuffles affect the very people who until yesterday were considered his most loyal "praetorians".

Surprisingly, two of the DPS deputy chairmen – "Yordan Tsonev" and "Stanislav Anastasov" – as well as three members of the COB – "Bayram Bayram", "Hamid Hamid", and "Tsvetan Enchev" – parted ways with their leadership positions. All of them were considered "trusted individuals" of Peevski, stood firmly behind him during the internal split in the DPS, and were among the movement's main spokespersons in parliament.

These were the figures who stepped forward when something had to be defended "to the end" – including topics that strongly angered "Gen Z" at the end of last year and contributed to the protests that led to the fall of the government. In their place, current MPs "Atidzhe Alieva-Veli" and "Ayten Sabri" enter the leadership, with the latter also serving as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

Quiet reshuffle without comments to the media

The changes were adopted during a meeting of the "Central Council of DPS" (the party's broader leadership), held on Monday. There was no prior announcement for the meeting, and participants refused to make statements to the media upon entering. Such were also missing after its conclusion – instead, an official statement from the DPS press center was distributed regarding the personnel decisions.

It states that the changes were made as a result of an "analysis of the state of the party structures, election results, and the upcoming goals and challenges before the DPS". The press center cites Peevski, who told his fellow party members that he had "heard the people and the structures of the party" with whom he had held "a series of meetings and conversations" during the nearly two months since the parliamentary elections.

Why the recent key figures fell

The removal of long-time MP "Yordan Tsonev" from the post of deputy chairman is likely related to the fact that he is no longer a member of parliament. Tsonev was among the first to stand behind Peevski in his conflict with "Ahmed Dogan" and was considered one of the movement's "blades" in parliament. In the last elections, he led two DPS lists – in "Veliko Tarnovo" and "Varna" – but the party failed to win a single mandate in these regions.

In parallel, the DPS structure in Varna was shaken due to revelations about "illegal construction" in the "Baba Alino" area. The scandal forced Peevski to demand the resignation of the party's regional chairman in the city, "Erdzhan Ebatin", who is a long-time director of "RIOSV – Varna". Thus, the accumulated problems in the region further weakened Tsonev's positions.

Kardzhali, Novi Pazar and the price of loyalty

Due to the tension in the local structures, it is most likely that "Bayram Bayram" and "Hamid Hamid" are also leaving the leadership. About ten days ago, the entire municipal leadership of the DPS in "Kirkovo" resigned. As motives, they cited "accumulated tension and deepening disagreements" with the central and regional leadership, as well as "systematic neglect" of the positions and decisions of the municipal structure.

The tension runs along the line of "Kardzhali" mayor "Erol Myumyun" and his associates, among whom is Bayram. Peevski would find it difficult to afford to remove Myumyun – the mayor of a key city for the DPS – so removing Bayram can be interpreted more as a "sign". In previous parliaments, Bayram was a spokesperson for the MPs from the region, but he failed to meet expectations.

During the protests against the "Rosen Zhelyazkov" government, Bayram, Tsonev, Hamid, and Stanislav Anastasov engaged in sharp arguments in parliament with aides to "PP–DB", and Bayram even called them "scum". In the current National Assembly, he has visibly been relegated "to the background", and "Ayten Sabri" is asserting herself as the spokesperson for the Kardzhali MPs. Besides being elected as Deputy Speaker of Parliament, her role is now formalized at the party level as a member of the COB. During the conflict in Kirkovo, it was she who was sent as an "intermediary" and met with the strong figure there – the municipal mayor "Shinasi Syuleyman".

"Hamid Hamid" became an MP from "Shumen", where there is also serious tension in the regional structure. Recently, over 20 members of the DPS organization in "Novi Pazar" left, and the seven municipal councilors became "independent". A curious detail is that Hamid entered parliament after "Aysel Mustafova", who won a mandate with preferences, renounced it in his favor. Currently, he is the deputy chairman of the DPS parliamentary group – a post he retains despite his departure from the COB.

Enchev to the CEC, uncertainty around Anastasov

The other member of the leadership who is leaving is former MP "Tsvetan Enchev". His removal is logical, as he has been nominated for a member of the "Central Election Commission" from the DPS quota and cannot combine this role with participation in the party's top leadership.

For now, it remains unclear why Peevski is parting ways with "Stanislav Anastasov", who is known as his "link" to foreign embassies in Sofia and is considered one of his most trusted individuals. His removal raises additional questions about the internal dynamics in the DPS and how far the leader's willingness to part with recent "praetorians" goes in order to respond to the tension in party structures and public sentiment.