» THE SOFIA WEEKLY is the first English language online weekly in Bulgaria.

It covers events from the previous day and also news that made the headlines over the week, commentaries, analyses and other various useful information.

The Sofia Weekly is distributed free of charge and was born after www.dariknews.bg and www.novinite.com, Bulgaria's leading online news providers, pooled their efforts and promised to launch new successful products on the market.

It has the ambition to be the primary concise and diverse source on different subjects of Bulgarian political, economic, cultural and social life. It provides analysis of the key changes in the political environment and gives clear insights into the business trends. It also includes color stories from Bulgaria, which do not make it to the international news wires.

» SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE
* E-mail:
 

   » LATEST ISSUE:


SOFIA WEEKLY 2013-05-18
Find us on:   
Download for:   
Sofia: min 12°, max 29°
Varna: min 14°, max 29°
Plovdiv: min 16°, max 31°
USD: 1.5198
EUR: 1.95583
GBP: 2.31528
18 May 2013, Issue 347
by Novinite.com
Bulgaria's Online Weekly Newspaper since 2001
9945 subscribers of Novinite.com
133268 articles
590 interviews
8570 pictures
 
BUSINESS     POLITICS     WORLD     SHOW     SPORTS     FORUM
 
  Published by novinite.com
  

Buzz
Bulgaria after the Elections: Bleak Outlook or Dead End

By Milena Hristova

Only four Bulgarian parties - those which got most discredited over the past decade thanks to corruption and links with the oligarchy - made it to parliament on Sunday. | read |

Buzz
Nationalist Leader - Kingmaker in Bulgaria

By Neda Peliteva

No matter what politicians say, one thing is for sure. | read |

Buzz
Responsible Politicians? Anyone?

By Svetlozar Bahchevanov

Are there any nationally responsible politicians left in Bulgaria? Over the next few days, we will know the answer to that important question. | read |

Editorial
Bulgarians Even More Disillusioned after Vote

By Milena Hristova

"Every nation chooses alone whether to crash or not. | read |

Editorial
More of the Same? Are Bulgarians Insane?

By Milena Hristova

The article was originally published at Novinite. | read |

Expert Voices
Voiding Election Results in Bulgaria

After the formerly-ruling GERB party announced they want the results from the May 12 general elections voided over suspicions of vote rigging, legal experts in Bulgaria have commented on ways to do so. | read |

Expert Voices
Bulgarians Feel Like Abandoned Kids - Social Anthropologist

Excerpts from Euronews interview with prominent Bulgarian social anthropologist Haralan Aleksandrov on the ongoing social and political crisis in Bulgaria“The reasons that triggered the mass demonstrations [in February] have been there for years. | read |



Top Story
Bulgaria Main Party Plays Victim, Firm to Void Election Result

Bulgaria's biggest political party is determined to have the result of Sunday's deadlocked election cancelled, saying the energy mafia is its true enemy.

"Gerb [the formerly ruling party, ousted by mass protests in February] hurt the interests of Bulgaria's organized crime and energy mafia. Now they are striking back in revenge and we feel the pain," Ivaylo Moskovski, former transport minister in the cabinet of Boyko Borisov, told bTV channel on Friday.

"This is a plot, well thought-out and planned well in advance, aiming to destroy Gerb," the former minister said.

The party, which gained a slight lead in the early elections, but not enough to form a stable minority government, wants the results voided on the grounds of a legal violation.

On Saturday, a day before the elections, when by law electoral campaigning is forbidden, prosecutors announced they had raided a printing shop and found 350,000 illegally printed ballots in a printing house owned by a Gerb official.

The party claims its chances had been hurt by news conferences held by other parties in relation to the raid on Saturday.

"Once the new parliament is convened, we will take advantage of every opportunity we have to press ahead with cancelling the vote results. We have hundreds of articles and broadcasts, which violated the rules. All they will be part of our case that the electoral process has been marred and must start anew," Moscovski argued.

Under the Constitution, the decision about the void can be made only by the Constitutional Court.

A political party has the right to ask annulment of election results, but only through the intermediation of five institutions - the President, the Supreme Court of Cassations, VKS, the Supreme Administrative Court, VAS, through their respective judges' plenum, the Chief Prosecutor, and at least one fifth of the sworn-in Members of the Parliament.

The latter is interpreted by the majority of legal experts as needing to have a convened Parliament in order for GERB to be able to ask the Constitutional Court for a void through its MPs.

However, the country's ombudsman offered a different interpretation Friday morning, saying GERB MPs could do the move now, as the mandate starts on election day, not the date of the oath of office.

In commenting on the fact that both President, Rosen Plevneliev, and Chief Prosecutor, Sotir Tsatsarov, have already firmly declared they do not see any need to annul the election results, Penchev said the situation was "schizophrenic."
see photo  |  print  |  send  |  post your opinion  |   view all opinions  |   top

Bulgaria's New Parliament to Convene on May 21

Bulgaria's new Parliament is to meet for the first time on Tuesday, May 21, President Rosen Plevneliev has announced.

The majority of parties that overcame the 4% election threshold have agreed on the date, Plevneliev told reporters.

On Friday, the President met with representatives of the four parties that enter Bulgaria's next Parliament: the center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party of former Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, and their self-proclaimed arch enemies - the far-right nationalist Ataka (Attack).

According to the final count, DPS and BSP together will have 120 seats in the 240-seat unicameral Parliament. Ataka is yet to declare whether it would support these two parties.

Ataka, BSP and DPS have all declared that they would not negotiate with GERB, which narrowly won the election on May 12, but will be unable to form a government.

Plevneliev has declared on several occasions that a new government should be formed as soon as possible.
see photo  |  print  |  send  |  post your opinion  |   view all opinions  |   top
Elections 2013
3 Key Bulgarian Socialist Officials Tipped for Cabinet Posts - Report

Three senior Bulgarian Socialist Party officials are likely to be proposed for ministers in Bulgaria’s next government, Novinite.bg has reported, citing its own sources.
| read |
Elections 2013
Bulgarian Ombudsman: Vote Void Will Lead to Chaos

Voiding election results is totally useless and will only stir chaos, says Bulgaria's Ombudsman, Konstantin Penchev.
| read |

More News

Editorial

Bulgarians Even More Disillusioned after Vote

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150468


More of the Same? Are Bulgarians Insane?

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150368


Business

Bulgarian-Turkish Border Checkpoint Open for Car, Bus Traffic

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150484


Angry Bulgarian Truckers Continue Turkish Border Blockade

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150465


Bulgaria's Privatization Agency Launches 2nd Attempt to Sell Arms Manufacturer

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150419


Bulgaria 4th in Europe by Exports of Organic Honey

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150384


Energy

National Regulators Confirm Extension of Nabucco Third-Party Exemption

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150386


Society

Bulgaria Lags Behind Rest of EU in LGBTI Legislation

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150461


Culture

Bulgarian Drumming Duo Fails to Make Eurovision Finals

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150464


Sports

Bulgaria's Berbatov Hints of Staying in Fulham

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150486


Ian Poulter in Bulgaria: I Have Never Seen a Course Like That

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150437


Beroe Grabs Unexpectedly Bulgaria Cup after Penalties

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150435


Bulgaria Hosts First Major Golf Tournament

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150433


Bulgarian Kid Wins Chess World Championships for 9-Y-Olds

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150397


Bulgaria's Berbatov Named Fulham's Player of the Season

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150380


Fans, Tweeter Users Condemn 'Chelsea to Win, Petrov to Die' Message

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150355


Domestic

Hristo Bozov Reinstated as Interim Varna Mayor

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150469


Crime

Notorious Bulgarian Roma Boss, Wife, Indicted for Large-Scale Tax Evasion

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150488


Bulgarian Court Orders 37-Year-Old under EAW Taken into Custody

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150477


Bulgarian Investigator Axed over Money Laundering Case Sabotage

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150443


Russian Mafia Gang Smashed in London, Sex Slaves - Bulgarians

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150427


Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor: We Are Not National Traitors

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150399


Bulgarian Medics Cleared of 2010 Baby Death Case

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150398


Bulgarian Prosecution to Ask Stripping Tsvetanov of Immunity

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150393


Bulgarian Border Police Detain 17 Illegal Immigrants

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150377


Israel Upholds Results of Bulgaria's Investigation of 2012 Burgas Bus Bombing

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150257


Homemade Bomb Found on Bulgarian MP Hopeful Car

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150255


Bulgarian Right-Wing Leader Home Attacked with Pocket Knife

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150252


Lifestyle

Sharapova Confirms Romantic Relationship with Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150251


Buzz

Nationalist Leader - Kingmaker in Bulgaria

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150478


Responsible Politicians? Anyone?

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150362


Bulgaria after the Elections: Bleak Outlook or Dead End

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150319


Expert Voices

Bulgarians Feel Like Abandoned Kids - Social Anthropologist

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150491


Voiding Election Results in Bulgaria

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150466


Elections 2013

3 Key Bulgarian Socialist Officials Tipped for Cabinet Posts - Report

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150487


Bulgarian Nationalist Leader Recommends Convoking 42nd National Assembly without Delay

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150485


Bulgaria's GERB Alarms EU about Ethnic Turkish Vote Buying

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150482


Bulgaria's Ethnic Turkish Leader: Ex PM Lost Grip on Reality

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150480


850 000 Bulgarian Voters Left Without Representation in Parliament

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150479


Bulgaria's GERB: Vote Void Will Clean Our Image

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150474


Ex Top Cop Apologizes to Bulgarian Medics over 2010 Baby Death Case

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150473


Bulgarian Socialists Push for Quick Convening of Parliament

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150472


Ex Bulgarian PM: I Feel Like Winner

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150471


Ex Top Cop: Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Must Forward Vote Voiding Petition

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150470


Bulgarian Ombudsman: Vote Void Will Lead to Chaos

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150467


Bulgarian Ex-Rulers Swear to God They Didn't Attempt Voting Fraud

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150457


Bulgarian Ex-Top Cop Vows to Give Up Immunity

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150450


Bulgarian Ex-PM to Get Rid of Embattled Aide in Future Cabinet

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150448


Bulgaria's GERB Party to Request Cancellation of Election Results

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150447


World

Football Superstar David Beckham Announces Retirement

Click here to read the story:
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=150460



All rights reserved (c) Novinite Ltd., 2001-2013.
You are permitted to use any of the articles only if you obligatory quote the source: Sofia News Agency (www.novinite.com)
Sofia Morning News is a registered trademark No 33727/10.08.1998 under the Bulgaria's Patent Office.

If you do not wish to receive The Sofia Weekly you can unsubscribe here.