Bulgaria's parliament speaker resigns 'to avoid political upheaval'

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's parliament speaker Dimitar Glavchev resigned on Friday in a move he said was to avoid political upheaval as the country prepares to take over the six-month rotating European Union presidency in January.

The opposition Socialists had demanded Glavchev's resignation and said they would boycott parliament sessions until he stepped down after he banned their leader, Kornelia Ninova, from the chamber over what he called offences to deputies and members of the government on Wednesday.