Bulgaria's media bosses and editor-in-chiefs are coming forward one by one Monday with official statements declaring the cabinet is not exerting pressure on their publications and programs.

The statements are triggered by a letter of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, sent to them Sunday, demanding a response about allegations the government of the his ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party is interfering with the content they publish and air.

The letter, distributed by Borisov's Chief of Staff, Rumyana Bachvarova, was caused by words of Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov, who said Saturday that Borisov and the cabinet are pressuring media in the country.

The weekend war flared in the wake of an article of “The Economist” which wrote Bulgaria might be becoming a police state.

In the letter, Borisov asks editors-in-chief to verify Parvanov's accusations.

“I anticipate your honest and public answers. They will show if the President has any grounds for his claims or is just trying to manipulate public opinion and undermine the reforms of the cabinet for his own political gains. Your assessment is crucial, first and foremost, for your readers, listeners and viewers, who have the right to know the truth about the independence of Bulgarian media,” the letter reads.

The responses, received so far, reject claims the cabinet and Borisov attempt to influence publications and programs. They include: the Director of the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, Valeri Todorov, the Editor-in-Chief of the news program of the TV channel bTV, Lyuba Rizova, the Board Member of the TV channel Nova Televizia, Sylvia Zurleva, the Director of the Bulgarian National Television, BNT, Ulyana Pramova, the Director of the Bulgarian News Agency, BTA, Maxim Minchev, the Editor-in-Chief of the “Trud” (Labor) daily, Tosho Toshev, the Editor-in-Chief of the “24 Chassa” (24 Hours) daily, Venelina Gocheva, the Editor-in-Chief of the “Standart” (Standard) daily, Slavka Bozukova, the Editor-in-Chief of the “Kapital” (Capital) weekly, Galya Prokopieva, the Chair of the Editors' Council of the “Novinar” (Reporter) daily, Lyuben Dilov Jr.

Pramova, Toshev and Minchev, further say they have not been pressured by the 2 previous governments either – the cabinet of the former Tsar, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, and the Three-Way Coalition cabinet of socialist Prime Minister, Sergey Stanishev, hinting media has been subject to interference before 2001. Bozukova, however, points out that the “Stanishev” cabinet made attempts to conceal criticism from the EU and information about the looming economic crisis.

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