Italians Reject Judicial Reform in Referendum Blow to Meloni
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conceded defeat after voters rejected her government’s judicial reform in a national referendum, but made clear she would remain in power.
HOT: » Which party would you vote for (if you could) in the upcoming snap vote in Bulgaria on April 19?
Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski (R) and Economy and Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev are both to attend the session in Parliament. Photo by BGNES
Details around the South Stream gas pipeline project and the fifth no-confidence motion tabled against the government are to top the agenda at Friday's session in Parliament.
Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski and Economy Minister Dragomir Stoynev have confirmed they will appear before lawmakers for a hearing on South Stream upon request by the opposition. The ruling socialists have however also backed the move.
Oresharski surprisingly declared on Sunday that Bulgaria was freezing the South Stream project to comply with EU requirements, days after the EU Commission launched an infringement procedure against Bulgaria over irregularities with the project and demanded that it provisionally come to a halt.
On Wednesday he announced he would reveal "the truth" about South Stream during the parliamentary hearing.
His decision, which sparked controversy among cabinet members, drew resistance from Parliament Speaker Mihail Mikov, who explained Thursday the project was still under way and Oresharski was not capable of unilaterally taking such a step.
It is unclear whether the session will actually be held; Thursday's debates on a referendum proposal regarding the voting system failed after lawmakers from opposition GERB, which had for months spoken in favour of the referendum, did not registered and no quorum was reached.
Parliament Speaker Mikov later said that the referendum could also be discussed on Friday.
Center-right opposition GERB have voiced their resolution to submit consecutive motions of no confidence that could finally bring the term of the ruling socialist-liberal coalition to an end.
The latest vote is on fiscal policies, with GERB lawmakers accusing the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) of putting the financial system in jeopardy by opting for risky billions-worth loans.
GERB leader Boyko Borissov reacted to the fall of the Zhelyazkov government during a live broadcast on his official Facebook page, following the mass protests across the country.
The government is making a second clumsy attempt to introduce the state budget.
People with disabilities in Bulgaria face the most severe difficulties in the entire European Union, alongside Greece
The current patient fee for a medical consultation has lost its purpose and no longer serves its intended functions, according to Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) chairman Dr.
Brussels has unofficially warned Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova that the country’s euro adoption process could be suspended, according to BGNES, citing Nova TV.
"Everyone wants positions – in regulatory bodies and ministries," he emphasized.
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