Bulgaria's Eurozone Aspirations: Fitch Ratings Affirms Positive Outlook
Fitch Ratings, a leading credit rating agency, has affirmed Bulgaria's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating at 'BBB' with a Positive Outlook
Bulgaria's ruling center-right party GERB will announce its candidate for the upcoming presidential elections in June-July, confident of its success, the prime minister said on Thursday.
"The name of the presidential runner will be publicly announced in June-July," Boyko Borisov said on Thursday in an interview for private TV channel TV7.
"Our government insured democracy in the country as nobody before. Bulgaria is now struggling to exit as quickly as possible the hardest financial and economic crisis that has hit the world ever. And we succeed despite the fact that Bulgaria has the lowest taxes in Europe. We are one of just a handful of countries, which did not impose hikes on taxes, did not reduce pensions and salaries," Borisov stressed in what is practically his first speech on the national holiday March 3.
Commenting on plans for Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov to team up with Bulgarian EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva in order to fight hunger and promote humanitarian work, Borisov said:
"These are all achievements of the Bulgarian state and a good reason for all Bulgarians to be proud."
Time is already ticking away for Bulgaria's presidential and local pre-election campaign, but a brand new poll showed nearly two thirds of all Bulgarians (63%) prefer to have a new President who is not from the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party.
The survey came to contradict the words of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who recently expressed conviction that his party has among its ranks at least five likely nominees able to sweep the elections for the high, though largely ceremonial, office of president. He has even hinted to journalists that he might run for president.
Meanwhile internet forums in Bulgaria are overflowing with calls for the highly popular Kristalina Georgieva, currently the EU's humanitarian aid commissioner, to run in this year's presidential elections.
The ruling party GERB is unlikely to nominate Interior Minister Tsvetanov, as initially planned, because of the string of discrediting information revealed about him recently, but it is still unclear whether Kristalina Georgieva will agree to run or Boyko Borisov's real political goal will prove to be the presidential office.
The most disputed aspect of the vote is the prospect of former special agent of the State Agency for National Security (DANS) and controversial businessman, Aleksei Petrov, running in it.
Bulgaria nationalist leader Volen Siderov has also said he is determined to run - again - for the office. Siderov has been promoting openly his racist beliefs, which disgusted many Bulgarians but fascinated others.
The popularity of the national leader however has weakened tremendously over the last year and analysts say there is no risk of Siderov's making a breakthrough and inciting ethnic tension, something that has brought dramas in the Balkan region.
Despite the mostly ceremonial duties of the post, the president can name figures to bodies like the secret service, the media watchdog and others to extend his influence.
Incumbent Socialist President Georgi Parvanov was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2006 and isn't eligible to run in next year's presidential elections.
The candidates in 2011 elections will probably inspire more than one out of six million voters, the turnout during the previous vote in 2006, but the winner, will hardly be able to call himself president of all Bulgarians.
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I feel no moral guilt towards anyone. This was stated by Kiril Petkov, answering a question whether he would apologize to the Bulgarian people for violating the Constitution.
Head of the Military Medical Academy (MMA) Major General Prof.
The Ministry of Finance has revised its autumn forecast for economic development.
Bulgarian police arrested a Russian citizen and two Lithuanians on suspicion of exporting “sensitive information” from the Arsenal military plant in Kazanlak.
The government has changed its order requiring state-owned companies to pay a dividend to the budget.
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