Bulgarian PM resigns after vote

SOFIA (Reuter) - Bulgaria's first non-Communist government in four decades, the Union of Democratic Forces led by Filip Dimitrov, resigned after losing a confidence vote in parliament. It lost in a secret ballot by 120 votes to 111. Deputies from the opposition Socialist Party, formerly the Communist Party, were joined by the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms in voting down the government.

It was accused during the debate of failing to prevent the economy from collapsing, and was criticised over alleged arms sales to the former Yugoslavia.