Borisov 3 Cabinet To Discuss the Nomination For a Bulgarian EU Commissioner Today
On the first government meeting of the Borisov 3 cabinet today, they will consider the nomination for a Bulgarian EU Commissioner, according to BGNES.
Meglena Kuneva, former Bulgarian Minister and MEP, will top the Reformist Bloc's list at the European Elections.
Kuneva heads the Bulgaria for Citizens Movement, which is part of the Reformists's coalition. She was Minister of European Affairs in two consecutive governments, one of the NDSV (National Movement for Stability and Progress) from 2002 to 2005 and the other of now-ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which she left due to her EU Commissioner bid after she was nominated by BSP leader Sergei Stanishev in end-October 2006.
On January 1, 2007 she began her term as Bulgaria's first EU Commissioner, in charge of consumer protection.
She also ran for president in 2011 and had the third-largest result after current head of state Rosen Plevneliev and MEP Ivaylo Kalfin.
In the Reformist Bloc's list, Kuneva is followed by Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSP)’s Svetoslav Malinov and Bozhidar Lukarski, who leads the Union of Democratic Forces (known as SDS), Bulgarian television bTV has reported.
Next is Korman Ismailov, who is a member of Kasim Dal’s Freedom and Dignity People's Party.
Since splintering off from the ethnic Turkish Movement of Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party, Dal has sparked controversy as allegedly enjoying the support of Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who expressed his preference for Dal to DPS before 2013's elections (and even sponsored his campaign), according to reports by Today's Zaman newspaper.
Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union (BZNS) has proposed Dimitar Bechev, Sofia University lecturer and chief of Bulgaria’s bureau of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The Reformist Bloc, a coalition of right parties, agreed in December that its members will run together in a full cycle of elections, including May 25 European Elections, as well as the next parliamentary and municipal elections.
The Bloc came together as a result of massive protests over the summer against Bulgaria's then new cabinet, led by PM Plamen Oresharski.
A range of polls predict that the Reformists will make it into the European Parliament with 5 to 6% of the ballots, which means they could obtain one MEP seat in May.
Leaders of the coalition have nonetheless vowed to win up to three MEP seats.
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.