Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, who today submitted his resignation to the National Assembly, said in a statement that he was doing so in view of the commitment made in a joint statement by the We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) and its governing partners, GERB-SDS, to have a change in the leadership of the government after the first nine months of its rule. He stressed that his resignation was also an invitation to GERB to engage in reform negotiations. 

"In the next nine months, we have to go all the way with the reform course we outlined in June," Denkov said, stressing that this would require political courage. 

He insisted that regulators must be taken out of "clan-family relations" and strongly opposed their use as a tool to take over companies.

Denkov was clear that the government would continue to carry out its duties until a new government was elected.

"We have to sit down at the negotiating table and when the results of these negotiations are known, you will be informed," Denkov said in response to a journalist's question about the future distribution of power, and declined to answer other questions. 

It is not yet clear when parliament will vote on the resignation.