A march by Bulgarian Socialists, celebrating the international labour day, closed the streets of downtown Sofia on Tuesday.

Bulgaria's Socialist Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and Economy Minister Rumen Ovcharov, who is also the head of the party's organisation in the capital, are part of the march.

The party is also using the opportunity, despite overcast skies, to parade its candidates for the European Parliament elections, scheduled for May 20.

But the Socialists are not the only ones marching on May 1.

The city hall has also granted the communists and anarchists permission to march, albeit theirs are expected to attract a much smaller number of people.

Bulgarian pensioners are also expected to protest against low wages, high utility prices and the government's economic policies, which have failed to improve the living standards in the country.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!