"Dear friends, I have always been a person who can bear responsibility. That is why I am stepping down as a member of the GERB Executive Committee", wrote Stara Zagora Mayor Zhivko Todorov on Facebook, quoted by bTV.
"I will give my energy and all my attention to the development of Stara Zagora. I thank all my colleagues for their joint work and wish them success," he also wrote.
Before actively entering politics, Zhivko Todorov gained experience as an expert on European projects, which later proved to be key to the modernization of his hometown.
His political path in GERB began dynamically - in 2009 he was elected as a member of parliament in the 41st National Assembly, where he headed the Committee on Foreign Policy and Defense.
Only two years later, at the age of 30, he won his first term as mayor of Stara Zagora. Over the years, Zhivko Todorov has established himself as one of the most authoritative and popular figures in the party, winning four consecutive mayoral elections, often in the first round.
In the party structure, he held key positions as a regional coordinator and member of the Executive Committee of GERB, and his name was often mentioned as a potential candidate for leadership positions at the national level.
His withdrawal from the party's governing bodies marked the culmination of his position for the “depoliticization“ of the mayoral institution.
Zhivko Todorov openly stated his disagreement with the practice of using mayors as “faces” on election lists, emphasizing that his commitment is to the citizens of Stara Zagora, and not to narrow party interests in parliamentary battles.