A new political formation – Republican Union – was established by a 58-member Initiative Committee in Sofia on December 20. Petya Shopova, Deputy Speaker of the 38 National Assembly was elected chair of the Union. The Committee adopted the formation’s first document which outlines its priorities – improving the Republican governing and providing guarantees for human rights and freedoms protection. The Republican Union does not intend to occupy either the left or right part of the political spectrum, but will carry out pragmatic policy targeting concrete problems of the people in Bulgaria.