Bulgarian Protesters Call for Moratorium on Power Bills
Energy | February 24, 2013, Sunday| 1356 views
Send to Kindle
The latest wave of mass protests in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia and across the country on Sunday are as much about mafia control and soaring electricity prices as about spending cuts. Photo by BGNES
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the struggling Bulgarian town of Blagoevgrad on Sunday, demanding a moratorium on skyrocketing power bills.
"Now is the right moment to make the protests even bigger and stronger, so that everybody hears the people's voice and anger at those who made us so poor. We toppled the government, now it is time to do away with the monopolies," the organizers said.
The protesters called on President Rosen Plevneliev to impose a moratorium on the high electricity bills for January.
They even set him a deadline, saying that they hope he will show his support and personally intervene within three days.
Bulgaria's government has bowed to popular anger over high electricity prices and poor governance, but the protests are continuing.
The inexplicably high winter power bills were the final straw for many protesters as often the bills exceeded the people's incomes. Some bills rose by more than half in December.
The embattled power providers said the eye-popping bills were due to a 13% price hike in July 2012 and falling temperatures during the winter months.
Tags: Bulgaria, protests, power, bills
» Subscribe to receive alerts by email for any of these keywords.
