Bulgaria's Borissov Calls for Suspension of Media Grants Amid Budget Controversy
Boyko Borissov, leader of GERB, escalated his criticism of Bulgarian media outlets receiving grants today, calling for the suspension of such funding
The ad hoc parliamentary committee for the preparation of a new Election Code expectedly rejected the proposals of the Bulgarian opposition.
On Monday, the formerly ruling, centrist Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB) submitted several ideas that were dismissed on first reading.
One of the proposals was to introduce mandatory vote, but not through sanctions for those who would not go to the polls. The provision was to encourage people to vote by giving them vouchers for BGN 20 for administrative services.
The other two proposals included the implementation of a mixed voting system to have 32 majority-elected Members of the Parliament (not through party ballots) and online vote for Bulgarians abroad.
Maya Manolova, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and MP from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) said the vouchers proposal was absurd and a way to buy votes.
"We, of course, could not expect anything else from GERB – vote buying is their way of winning elections," Manolova said.
The proposals largely matched the questions to be asked in a referendum to be carried out simultaneously with the European elections, voiced by President Rosen Plevneliev.
The Committee further rejected the proposal of the liberal party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), mostly representing the Turkish minority in the country, to remove the permanent residency requirement for voters.
The proposal of the nationalist, extremist Ataka party to ban Bulgarians with dual citizenships from voting was also dismissed.
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
The Council of Ministers has adopted a resolution to set the minimum wage at 1,077 leva, reflecting a 15.
Every 20 minutes, fire alerts are received from across Bulgaria.
I feel no moral guilt towards anyone. This was stated by Kiril Petkov, answering a question whether he would apologize to the Bulgarian people for violating the Constitution.
Head of the Military Medical Academy (MMA) Major General Prof.
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