Bulgaria Lags in Absorbing EU Funds, Risking Losses and Growing Debt
Bulgaria is falling behind in its utilization of European Union funds
If elections were held now, Bulgaria's center-right opposition GERB party would get 20.1% of the votes, followed by the ruling socialist party with 19.9%, according to a poll.
The party of the journalist-turned politician Nikolay Barekov, called Bulgaria Without Censorship, the ethnic Turkish DPS (Movement for Rights and Freedoms), the right-wing Ataka and
the Reformist Bloc, a recently forged alliance of right parties will all make it to the Parliament, according to a poll by Sova Harris ordered by Presa Daily.
If EU elections were held now, GERB and BSP would get the biggest share of votes, with 6 MEPs each. DPS and Bulgaria Without Censorship would receive 2 MEP seats and the Reformist Bloc will have one representative, the poll has shown.
In case of extraordinary elections, the voting turnout would be somewhat higher and the parties represented in Parliament would be 6 instead of 5, including Ataka.
Sociologists however, are still unable to predict the voting turnout. Some 47% of the polled have clearly stated their political preferences.
Bulgaria's EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva received the approval of 43% of respondents, followed by Sofia city mayor Yordanka Fandakova with 38%. Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski comes third with 29% public approval. President Rosen Plevneliev and Vice President Margarita Popova have both been supported by 28% of the polled. The leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Party of European Socialists Sergei Stanishev and GERB leader Boyko Borisov are trusted by 25% of the poll participants.
About 1 200 000 "phantom voters" can be found in Bulgarian elections lists, Mihail Konstantinov, formerly a high-profile official in charge of elections, believes.
Bulgaria's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) starts receiving documents for the registration of political parties and coalitions for the early elections on October 5.
A majority in the European Parliament has approved Jean-Claude Juncker to be President of the European Commission, reports BBC.
The European Parliament is expected to approve on Tuesday the nomination of former Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission.
Former Environment Minister Iskra Mihaylova has become the nomination of the European Parliament's ALDE group to chair the Regional Policy Committee.
The European Parliament has re-elected Martin Schulz for a second presidential term, with 409 votes from the 751 MEPs.