Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov, met Thursday with representatives of the Civic Initiative Committee “Normal Work Conditions – Strong Local Power.”

The Committee includes Mayors from the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and other representatives of local power from the seven municipalities in the southern Kardzhali Region, who are disgruntled by the probes going on in local administrations.

There declaration was already sent to the Bulgarian Parliament and will be sent to the European one on Monday.

Over 50 000 people from the region have signed the protest declaration against what they say are biased probes; the creation of obstacles for the realization of projects funded by the EU which had already started, and political pressure on local power structures.

The Mayor of Kardzhali, Hasan Azis, who was recently charged by the Prosecutor's office with committing fraud with municipal property, told the President that from 657 probes in 40 municipalities all over the country, 297 are carried out in the Kadzhali Region and 110 in the city of Kardzhali.

The official press release of the Presidential office quotes just one sentence of Parvanov, saying it is very important in times of crisis to help municipalities in the absorption of EU funds.

Meanwhile, the Committee stresses they fully support the government in their fight against corruption and the objective control at all levels which will guarantee safety, security and human rights in Bulgaria.

The Member of the Parliament from the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, elected on the Kardzhali ballot, says local people have been misled to sign the declaration with threats that if they decline, they will not receive farming subsidies.

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