SOFIA, Oct. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Former Bulgarian president Petar Stojanow was elected leader of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), local media reported on Sunday.

    Stojanow beat his main rival Nadezhda Mihailova, the former party chief and ex-foreign minister, by a vote of 1,245 to 385 at the SDS national conference late on Saturday.

    Stojanow was president of the Balkan country from 1997 to 2002.

    Mihailova was blamed for the party's poor showing in the parliamentary elections in June, which left the SDS in fifth place out of seven parliamentary parties.

    The SDS, established in late 1989, has formed two governments in the country. Enditem