site.btaMedia Review: November 2

LOCAL ELECTIONS

Duma and Trud write that in the runoff local elections on November 5, voters will elect 91 mayors of municipalities, 451 mayors of mayoralties, and 31 mayors of regions. A total of 6,380,052 people are eligible to vote. Voting machines will be available in 5,900 sections. Central Election Commission (CEC) spokesperson Rositsa Mateva said that the specified number is not final and may undergo changes. Currently, the total number of sections for the runoff is 7,250, and their number is not final because of the sections in hospitals and specialized institutions. 

Sega adds that it is still not certain that machines will be used in the vote on Sunday. The procedure for verifying whether the devices comply with the requirements of the Election Code has yet to be completed by the Ministry of Electronic Government and the Institutes of Standardization and Metrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Last Friday, literally on the eve of the first round of the local elections, the CEC canceled the machine vote on the formal grounds that there was no such valid certificate. Subsequently, the Supreme Administrative Court confirmed that this CEC decision was lawful, but accepted that it was possible for the machines to be used in the second round if the certification procedure was carried out again, according to the law.

Trud quotes Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, who said that the runoff elections will surely take place, but machine voting is still in question because the verification of these machines requires a lot of time. Teams are working around the clock to carry out this verification, he added.
24 Chasa writes that the Ministry of Electronic Government will provide an opportunity for all citizens to monitor the process of certifying the compliance of voting machines in real-time. The broadcast will be available in the Ministry's building. The certifying process began on Tuesday, and is taking place under the supervision of experts from the State Agency for National Security.

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Trud reports that even before the run-offs, municipal councils have begun negotiations for the formation of majorities. Local political leaders admitted that in many municipalities it would be very difficult to form solid majorities and predicted that they would once again rely on interest-based coalitions. The municipal council in Blagoevgrad is most varied, with 16 parties and coalitions sharing 41 seats. Burgas' municipal council consists of 13 political formations. In Varna, 12 formations will share 51 seats. In Sofia and Plovdiv, there are 8 formations each in the municipal councils.

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24 Chasa notes that voter turnout in the October 29 local elections for the entire country was 44.94%. More than 2,713,000 voters went to the polls out of a total of just over 6,038,000 included in the electoral rolls. In the previous 2019 local elections, the voter turnout was higher - 49.76%.

Sega writes that the total number of invalid ballots in Sunday's local elections was 412,701. This is a record-high share, 15.46% of all votes cast, said the Institute for Public Environment Development which processed the data from the election protocols. In the 2019 local elections, invalid votes were more in number (466,077), but a smaller percentage of all votes (15.09%), due to higher turnout. The highest number of voters was recorded in Sofia  Municipality, with 4.9% of them casting invalid votes on October 29. Excluding the capital from the data, the average share of invalid ballots for the country would have been 17.14%.

On Bulgarian National Television's morning programme, CEC Public Council Chairperson Tsvetelina Peneva commented on the record number of invalid ballots, noting that this is very concerning because it means that these are people who either did not know how to vote, or did not understand what was written on the ballot, or that the CEC members were not well trained.

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24 Chasa quotes Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, who commented on the tension in the (non)coalition of Continue the Change- Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and GERB in Parliament, after on Tuesday, GERB leader Boyko Borisov said there is a chance that this alliance will break if their partners in power continue to work "against them". Denkov stressed that "if there is a desire to continue, we will find a way," but vowed to leave the alliance if he did not see such a thing. The daily also notes that Borissov framed as a joke his previously expressed support for CC-DB's opponent in the Sofia runoff mayoral election, Vanya Grigorova. 

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In a NOVA TV interview, Sofia mayoral candidate Vanya Grigorova said that her candidacy is a cross-party one and that everyone who wants to support her views on the development of Sofia is welcome to vote for her. She commented that at the beginning of the campaign, the difference between her and her opponent in the runoff on November 5, CC-DB's Vassil Terziev, was 20%, so she is not worried about closing the gap between them. Grigorova added that there have been no talks with party leaders for support in the runoff.  Grigorova also said that she was never against Bulgaria's Schengen membership, but she is against joining the Eurozone at this time. She also noted that the Ukrainian flag will not fly on the Sofia Municipality building, because the Bulgarian institutions should fly the national and EU flags, as the country is part of the European Union. Grigorova noted that she wants Sofia to resemble Troyan, where all communal services are performed by the municipality.

INTERNATIONAL

Trud, Telegraph report that Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov held a video conference call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two discussed the security of the Black Sea region in the context of Russian aggression against Kyiv. Prime Minister Denkov stressed Bulgaria's unequivocal support for Ukraine. During the conversation, Zelensky highlighted Ukraine's efforts to guarantee global food security by creating an alternative export corridor. The Ukrainian president also informed the Bulgarian Prime Minister about the situation on the front line and the urgent needs of the defence forces of Ukraine.

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Mediapool, Trud, Telegraph report that the State Agency for National Security (SANS)expelled the Sofia correspondent of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Alexandr Gatsak, as a national security threat. The order was issued due to evidence that under the guise of a journalist, Gatsak carried out intelligence activities in the country. The case also provoked a sharp comment from the Russian Foreign Ministry, as its spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russia will take retaliatory measures. Bulgarian National Television's morning programme hosted a discussion on this matter in the broader context of Russian-Bulgarian relations, geopolitics, with journalist Valery Todorov and international analyst, former deputy foreign minister Milen Keremedchiev.

24 Chasa, Telegraph, Sega, Trud, 24 Chasa write that an inspection by the prosecution service has established that the Sofia Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, also known as the "Russian Church", is Bulgarian property. The state prosecution said on Wednesday that the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works must file a lawsuit to obtain a title deed to the temple and property. The inspection showed that the plot on which the temple was built is also Bulgarian property. According to the prosecution service, the Bulgarian state is the owner of the temple, although it is recognized that there is a notary deed from 1997 in favour of Russia. The act was drawn up at the request of the then-ambassador of Russia on the basis of a title-deed dated November 7, 1898, but without taking into account all other documents issued for the last 130 years. Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov presented four folders of documents related to the matter to the Minister of Regional Development and Public Andrey Tsekov in preparation for the court case. Movement for Rights and Freedoms MP Delyan Peevski expressed satisfaction with this turn of events and commented that Tsekov must act "immediately".

On Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Viktor Malinov, head of the Legality Supervision Department at the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor's Office explained that in 1934, the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religion handed over the building to Metropolitan Stefan of Sofia at the time. During the Second World War, the temple was damaged. Two-thirds of the restoration was assigned to the Bulgarian state, the remaining third was to be taken over by the then USSR. There are no documents that the Soviet Union contributed funds for its restoration, he added.

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Mediapool, Telegraph write that a total of 36 Bulgarian citizens and members of their families were successfully evacuated from the territory of the Gaza Strip and are now safe in Egypt. The 37th has decided to stay. Everyone is doing well. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in continuous communication with its representations in Cairo, Ramallah and Tel Aviv, with a view to providing the best follow-up care. Earlier on Wednesday, at least 320 people with foreign passports crossed from Gaza into Egypt in the first wave of evacuations.

Trud reports that 19 Bulgarian citizens, among them babies and children, are waiting at the Rafah border checkpoint to leave the Gaza Strip after being on a Hamas list of foreign citizens who have permission to leave the territory. The list was released on Wednesday morning.

Telegraph reports that police have arrested a woman and two men in a case of seven detained illegal Palestinian migrants found in the village of Karepelit in an operation on Tuesday. The three accused have prior convictions.

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24 Chasa writes that the Council of Ministers adopted a Decision to provide free humanitarian aid to Libya with a total value of BGN 63,590, which includes necessities such as blankets and protective masks. The aid is provided to overcome the consequences of the heavy floods in the territory of Libya that led to the collapse of the dams in the city of Derna and numerous victims and injured.

HOME AFFAIRS

Mediapool, Telegraph, Sega report that unexpectedly, a national mobile phone alert system was activated minutes before 7 pm on Wednesday and scared Vivacom subscribers, whose phones suddenly began to emit loud siren sounds, and a notification appeared on the screens with the inscription "BG-ALERT. Emergenci alert test test" and a link to the bg-alert.bg site, which, however, was not functioning. The alert was reportedly due to human error. The message was received only by Vivacom subscribers. Testing for the new alert system is scheduled for next week.

The Bulgarian National Television (BNT), bTV and NOVA morning programmes all focus on the false alert. On BNT, Commissioner Aleksandar Dzhartov, the head of the Fire Safety and Protection of the Population General Directorate said that Wednesday's alert was a result of human error, and that proper testing the National Early Warning System is communicated on all possible information channels. Such tests will be conducted locally in the various regions of the country, between November 7 and 29 (November 22 for Sofia). On bTV, Dzhartov said that the company responsible for the messages works according to its own rules and procedures and it is not possible to replace it with another one, since the system has already been created.

Cyber security expert Yasen Tanev said on bTV that Wednesday's BG-ALERT tests met none of the network security standards, as one person was able send a message completely out of context and addressed it from the president without verification of confirmation, which shows how weak the system is. Tanev stressed that the situation needs to be inspected and someone has to take responsibility.

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Trud reports that cultural institutions are beginning protests across the country on the Day of National Awakeners' Day, November 1, due to low wages and lack of financing in the field.

Sega, Trud report that the prosecution service has been ordered to pay BGN 10,000 each in damages to President Rumen Radev's secretary for legal affairs and anti-corruption Plamen Uzunov and businessman Plamen Bobokov. In February, the Sofia City Prosecution Office closed an investigation against Uzunov and Bobokov for participation in a criminal conspiracy and malfeasance in office, finding no evidence in support of the charges. 

DEFENSE

24 Chasa writes that a draft contract for the acquisition of Stryker combat vehicles from the United States was approved on Wednesday by the Council of Ministers. Bulgaria plans to buy 198 such machines. The deal is expected to amount to a maximum of BGN 2.5 billion. It has already been approved by the parliamentary defence and finance committees but is yet to be adopted in the plenary hall. With Wednesday's decision, the government has already tasked Defence Minister Todor Tagarev to sign a contract immediately afterward.

HEALTHCARE

Mediapool reports that dozens of insulin-dependent patients demanded in an open letter that institutions stop the export of insulin. Insulin medications have been difficult to find in the pharmacy network for months. The letter is addressed to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, the Drug Agency, the MPs, the Commission for Protection against Discrimination, etc. Parliamentary Healthcare Committee Chair Kostadin Angelov (GERB) also insisted in a letter to the Health Minister, the Ministry of Health, to stop the export of the medications.

ECONOMY AND FINANCE

Trud, Telegraph report that the Council of Ministers determined the poverty line for 2024, which will be BGN 526, which is an increase of BGN 22 or 4.4%. Thus, social benefits under the Social Assistance Act, financial support under the Disability Act, financial aid and funds for prevention and reintegration, child care, etc., will also increase, and the age of people who receive old-age pensions will be expanded. About 800,000 people from vulnerable groups will receive financial support in a higher amount in 2024 as a result of the increase in the poverty line.

Trud writes that the collection of revenue in the state treasury is lagging behind the plan for the year. The main reason for this is a decrease in VAT revenues from imports, according to data from the Ministry of Finance. In order to compensate for this lag, the Ministry proposes raising a number of taxes and non-standard solutions for 2024. As of the end of September, the revenues in the state budget were BGN 28.5 billion, which is only 69.9% of what was envisaged for the entire year. 

Petar Ganev from the Institute for Market Economy said on BNT's morning programme that inflation is going down, below 3% in the Eurozone, and 6-7% in Bulgaria. He explained that this trend will continue, but this creates issues for the state budget, because the expectation of a huge increase in VAT revenues is gone. "After the elections, the budget discussion is extremely important. It will not be done only through income, we must be careful in the expenditure part as well", the expert believes.

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In a Bulgarian National Television interview, Minister of Innovation and Growth Milena Stoycheva said that for the last five months, her ministry has been working to put Bulgaria on the map on an international scale, as a place for innovation, with a new focus on attracting high-tech companies and investors in sectors that create added value. She argued that there is a need for long-term goal setting, which has not been done until now. Bulgaria is a fairly stable macroeconomic country, with very good indicators, a good debt-to-GDP ratio, the Minister pointed out, adding that  Bulgaria has talent and is in third place in the world in specialists in the field of information technologies and in second place in terms in attracting of personnel in start-up sectors.

Mediapool reports that Bulgaria, Greece and Romania will set aside in their budgets guarantees for a total of EUR 6 billion for the implementation of projects for transport and pipeline connectivity from the Greek city of Thessaloniki on the Mediterranean Sea through Kavala, Alexandroupolis, then through the Bulgarian Burgas and Varna to the Romanian Constanta on the coast of Black Sea. Loans from European banking institutions will also be sought, as well as free financing from European funds, and the construction of the diverse infrastructure will form a project company between the three countries, which will look for the executors of the individual projects. Among them are both highways and railways, and the project for an oil pipeline from Alexandrupoulos to Burgas is also included, with the aim of continuing north not only to Romania, but also to Moldova and Ukraine. This information transpired during Finance Minister Assen Vassilev's participation in the Southeast Europe Connectivity Forum in Thessaloniki. The project for this corridor was also discussed at the beginning of October by the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania.

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Sega writes that in November, Bulgargaz will supply its customers with natural gas at a price of 82.12/MWh (excluding access, transmission, excise and VAT prices). This is what the Commission for Energy and Water Regulation decided at its meeting on Wednesday, practically approving the calculations of the state-owned enterprise justifying a 36% price increase compared to October.

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Telegraph reports that a new register of persons deprived of management rights has been published for public discussion by the Ministry of Justice. Bulgaria is currently in infringement proceedings for non-implementation of EU directives for lack of such information. The register will contain an electronic database of the circumstances under which natural persons have been deprived of rights to be managers, members of the board of directors, supervisory board, or management board. It will include people who went bankrupt or were heads of companies declared bankrupt, if there were unsatisfied creditors, etc.

Mediapool reports that 70% of 400 Bulgarian companies surveyed said that they were subjected to malware attacks more than once, including phishing (61%), ransom demands for sensitive information (38%) and business identity theft (36%), attempts to access information without authorization (29%). The data comes from a survey of a total of 1,279 companies in Bulgaria, Spain and the Netherlands and their efforts against cyberattacks.