Bulgaria’s 2026 Budget Stays Unchanged After GERB Meets Unions
Bulgaria’s ruling party does not plan to alter the proposed state budget for 2026, following a meeting between union leaders and GERB chairman Boyko Borissov
Bulgaria's former president Petar Stoyanov can count on the support of the MPs from the ruling GERB party only. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency
Former Bulgarian President, Petar Stoyanov, who was nominated for constitutional judge by right-wing Union of Democratic Forces, will be boycotted by all opposition parties in parliament, including his own.
Stoyanov has asked to have three days to say if he would accept the nomination and is likely to turn it down, according to media reports.
Stoyanov will turn down the nomination not only because of his regular activities abroad, but also because of the stern opposition his candidature will face in parliament.
On Tuesday, shortly after UDF Chair, Emil Kabaivanov presented Stoyanov's nomination, it emerged that the former president can count on the support of the MPs from the ruling GERB party only.
The Socialist party and the ethnic Turks, as well as the die-hard right-wingers from Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, DSB said they will boycott the new procedure since, they claim, it has been rigged.
Monday Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov unexpectedly informally invited UDF to nominate a replacement for Markovska on grounds the formation was the oldest right-wing party in Bulgaria and is a member of the European People's Party, EPP, similarly to his ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB.
The move is interpreted as an attempt from the PM to attract the allegiance of the Union and create further divisions in the feeble Blue Coalition between the UDF and Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, DSB.
A seat in the Constitutional Court remained empty when last Thursday Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev walked out just as controversial judge Veneta Markovska was about to swear in.
Markovska's name had become implicated in allegations of trade in influence, which she was unable to dispel, but nevertheless chose not to resign, after being elected to the Constitutional Court by Parliament.
After Plevneliev's move, Friday Bulgarian MPs decided to launch a new procedure to choose another constitutional judge from the parliamentary quota.
People with disabilities in Bulgaria face the most severe difficulties in the entire European Union, alongside Greece
The current patient fee for a medical consultation has lost its purpose and no longer serves its intended functions, according to Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) chairman Dr.
Brussels has unofficially warned Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova that the country’s euro adoption process could be suspended, according to BGNES, citing Nova TV.
"Everyone wants positions – in regulatory bodies and ministries," he emphasized.
Bulgaria’s toll system now has the technical capability to track average vehicle speeds, as announced by the National Toll Management following a meeting with Regional Development Minister Violeta Koritarova.
The income required to cover living expenses for a working individual and a three-member family with a child under 14 has remained almost unchanged compared to June, according to an analysis by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CI
Bulgaria's Strategic Role in the EU's Drone Wall Defense Initiative
When Politics Means Violence