The mayor of the Bulgarian capital, Yordanka Fandakova, has promised that the construction works in Sofia will continue despite the crisis.

"Despite the crisis, we will use every opportunity for construction of the subway, bridges, streets. We will build the sewer, we will mend the water conduit and the sewer, we will create bike lanes, kindergartens and schools," Fandakova said at the first meeting of the Sofia municipal council Thursday.

At the meeting, the mayor also reported on her work during the year and announced her plans for the capital for the last year of her mandate.

She explained that the construction works for the two lines of the subway should be finished by 2012. The overground works that often blocks the traffic in Sofia should be completed by the end of 2011.

Fandakova also pointed out that some bridges in Sofia have been reconstructed and promised that the renovation of old and dangerous bridges will continue.

Another point in the plan for next year have been the cleaning of the streets. The mayor announced that new companies have been elected through competitions. The new contracts include the implementation of new techniques for faster emergency repairs. Also, the people who clean the streets are obliged, according to the new contracts, to clean the underpasses too.

Vladimir Kisiov from the center-right Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) has stated that he was relatively content with Fandakova's report. However, he pointed out that UDF will insist that the municipality prepares the budget for next year before the end of 2010.

The representative of the rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), Dimitar Bachvarov, has stated that his party is content with the mayor's report and that the investment program of the Sofia municipality is one of the most ambitious.

However, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) did not have such positive assessment of Fandakova's work.

"We expect a little more work from the municipal administration this year. I think we owe the voters because many of the problems that Sofia was facing three years ago are still not solved," said Zhelyo Boychev from BSP.

The representative of the ruling-party GERB, Malina Edreva, has defended Fandakova, pointing out that Sofia's problems this year could not be much different than the previous years. Edreva also called for more constructive dialogue.

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