site.btaMedia Review: June 21

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CHAIR ELECTION REACTIONS

Sega, Telegraph, Trud, 24 Chasa all report that GERB-UDF MP Raya Nazaryan was elected National Assembly Chair on Thursday. She received 131 votes in favour, 66 MPs voted against, and 39 abstained. Nazaryan was backed by her parliamentary group, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and There Is Such a People (TISP). This happened after an unsuccessful attempt on Wednesday, when she was only supported bt GERB and MRF. Her election unblocks the negotiations for a government with GERB-UDF's mandate. GERB leader Boyko Borisov had threatened that if she did not get the position, he would give up all talks, which would most likely send the country to another early election.

Trud, Sega, Telegraph, 24 Chasa  also quoted Borissov, who thanked TISP for their support and noted that he was secretly hoping for support from Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) "but they have encapsulated themselves". 

The media on Friday also add that MPs also elected seven Deputy Chairs of the National Assembly. Rositsa Kirova was elected Parliament’s Deputy Chair from GERB-UDF, Yordan Tsonev from Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Atanas Atanasov from Continue the ChangeDemocratic Bulgaria, Tsoncho Ganev from Vazrazhdane, Dragomir Stoynev from BSP for Bulgaria, Andrei Chorbanov from There is Such a People, Victoria Vassileva from Velichie (Grandeur).

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24 Chasa, Sega and Telegraph report that Nikolay Markov from Velichie was sworn in as a Member of Parliament in the 50th National Assembly. On Thursday, he did not take the oath, the reason being that he was 20 minutes late for the first session of Parliament.

Mediapool, 24 Chasa, Sega add that the new addition to Parliament, Velichie, claim that they were pressured to support GERB's Nazaryan. This was the reason why party leader Nikolay Markov was late for the first session of Parliament, as a result of which he was unable to take the oath and had to leave the plenary hall. The delay was caused by a meeting at which "very strong pressure" was exerted on Markov related to Ivelin Mihailov, ideologue of the Velichie [Grandeur] party and creator of the Historical Park near Varna, and his nearly BGN 650,000 in liabilities to the National Revenue Agency.

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Mediapool comments that the position of the new Parliament and the chances of forming a government are shaky for a few reasons. First, because Borissov, insists that his former partners from CC-DB must participate, but they firmly refuse. Second, because TISP leader Slavi Trifonov said that his party will not support a cabinet with either the first or the second government-forming mandate (GERB-UDF and MRF, respectively) and that he expects the third mandate, which the President hands out at his discretion, to be given to TISP and they will propose an expert government. Borissov, whose party once again won the elections but not by enough seats to  form a cabinet, claims that there can only be a government formed with the first mandate, otherwise there will be elections. If one of them does not change his position, the next early elections will be in the fall, stresses Mediapool.

Trud quotes TISP MP Toshko Yordanov, who explained that TISP did not support Nazaryan's candidacy on Wednesday as they were waiting for Slavi Trifonov's statement, which confirmed that TISP will not support a government with the first or second mandate. He gave two options for resolving the situation - either an expert cabinet or elections.

TISP's Stanislav Balabanov said on the air of bTV on Friday that if TISP receive the third mandate, they will invite all the parties to talks, as there are good experts in GERB and MRF. 

Trud, 24 Chasa quote CC-DB leader Kiril Petkov, who called TISP the "little MRF". "Finally, Slavi Trifonov was used for what he was created for," Petkov commented on Facebook regarding TISP supporting Narazyan's nomination. CC-DB MP Yordan Ivanov said on the air of bTV that TISP "was created by MRF" and under their control. 

Trud, 24 Chasa quote GERB MP Daniel Mitov, who said that "people who want to control everything and are not ready to compromise" have caused chaos in Parliament in the last 3 years, as even the smallest party "frivolously" proposed a nominee for chair , while previously it was accepted that the first political power holds that position.

Trud and 24 Chasa quote MRF leader Delyan Peevski, who called CC-DB's current approach a "show" and an "election campaign". He stressed that "Bulgaria is collapsing before our eyes at the moment" and that the squabbles are "destroying statehood".  Peevski argued that people are still looking for a "savior" which will not come. He called on everyone to be responsible and not allow "Bulgaria to go to Putin". 

Mediapool quotes Kaloyan Metodiev, former head of the president's office for and current independent MP (formerly BSP), who said that President Rumen Radev has staked out several groups within the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and wants to take over the party from within.  He said that MPs from the BSP are ready to support a cabinet with the second MRF mandate. A similar opinion was expressed on Wednesday on bTV by BSP leader Korneliya Ninova, who stated that there are people in BSP who want to govern with GERB and the MRF.

Georgi Svilenski from the BSP said to a Bulgarian National Television (BNT) journalist upon entering the Parliament building on Friday that Raya Nazaryan is a trained lawyer and as an expert she would cope with the post assigned to her. After a vacation, the same majority will form a government, he said.

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In a discussion on the air of BNT,  political scientist Prof. Svetoslav Malinov said that the elections were conducted under pressure, the results of the elections predetermined even greater pressure. The situation is worse than before the elections, he stressed. Dimitar Ganev, a sociologist from Trend, said that an expert cabinet means non-political figures who do not bear direct political responsibility to parties, which is not the ideal democratic situation. The election results indicated that that the only formula that could be achieved was some form of cooperation between GERB, MRF and TISP, he added.

Nova TV hosts a discussion between journalist Emilia Milcheva and political scientist Rumiana Kolarova. Kolarova. said that a GERB  government could gain some kind of amorphous support from some of the MPs from the various parliamentary groups. She added that TISP's support for Nazaryan while declaring that they will not support a cabinet with the first term or second mandate, would most likely be a winning move for them.

POLITICS

Trud, Mediapool, 24 Chasa write that Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev sent a letter to National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan and the parliamentary groups in the 50th Parliament with a request to decide who will represent Bulgaria at the NATO Summit on July 9 - 11 in Washington.  For the first time, the newly admitted member countries will be involved and the allies are expected to unanimously adopt important decisions, Glavchev writes in his letter.

Sega, Mediapool, 24 Chasa report that the caretaker Cabinet has done significant changes in national security administration, including the State Agency for National Security, State Agency for Metrological and Technical Surveillance, in intelligence, in the State Commission on Information Security. CC-DB and its co-chair Atanats Atanasov defined what was happening as a purge.

Trud quotes VMRO's Carlos Contrera who was appalled that Sofia Municipality allowed Sofia Pride to occupy the entire center of Sofia on the summer Saturday of Souls (a day for the commemoration of the dead within the liturgical year of the Eastern Orthodox Church). "On a day like this, when there should be humility and respect for the deceased, several NGOs, groups of perverted people will convince us that the problem in Bulgaria is that two men or two women could not marry," he wrote on Facebook.

ELECTING A NEW PATRIARCH 

Sega, Telegraph, Mediapool report that the Holy Synod elected by secret ballot three diocesan metropolitans as worthy candidates for Patriarch in place of Patriarch Neophyte, who died aged 78 after a long illness on March 13: Metropolitan Gregory of Vratsa, the Locum Tenens of the Holy Synod, with 11 votes in the first round; Metropolitan Daniel of Vidin with nine votes in the 32nd round, and Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech with nine votes in the 42nd round of voting.

Trud adds that a total of nine metropolitans met the conditions. The election lasted longer than usual because none of the candidates was able to collect the necessary two-thirds of the votes of 14 metropolitans quickly. Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers granted nearly half a million BGN to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to cover the costs of the organization and holding of the IV Patriarchal Electoral Church Council on June 30 and the ceremonial enthronement of the new Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia.

24 Chasa and Trud quote Vazrzahdane party leader Kostadin Kostadinov, who told journalists in the National Assembly that Bulgaria is "in complete disintegration, the political system is agonizing". The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) is also under threat of a repeat of the church schism that occurred in the early 1990s, he said, adding that certain political forces are acting in this direction both then and now. Kostadinov explained that the difference with the previous schism was that it was only internal, while now it is a matter of external intervention directly from the US, which aims to put a patriarch at the head of the BOC.

TRANSPORT

Telegraph and Sega report that the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) ruled conclusively that Sofia Municipality must terminate the new traffic organization around the National Palace of Culture introduced in early May. SAC upheld a ruling of the Sofia Administrative Court, which mandates termination of the actions of Sofia Municipality officials, ordered by Deputy Transport Mayor Iliyan Pavlov, on the introduction of a new traffic organization in downtown Sofia. The court ruled that the action lacked a legal or administrative basis. SAC said that the Master Plan of Sofia Municipality had expired in 2017 and thus at the time the new organization was put in place.

Trud quotes municipal councilor Ivan Takov, head of the Standing Committee on Transport and Road Safety at the Sofia Municipal Council, who called for Pavlov's resignation after the SAC confirmed his incompetence, to "bear responsibility for all the outrages he created together with Save Sofia in the centre of the capital". Takov argued that the  thoughtless and unprepared reorganization of traffic should be canceled immediately. 

The topic was a main focus in all morning programmes on Friday.  CC-DB (Save Sofia) municipal councilor Andrey Zografski told BNT that the new traffic organization works well, there are corridors for public transport and there are lanes for cyclists. GERB-UDF municipal councilor Anton Hekimyanb said that GERB demands the resignation of Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev and Pavlov and argued that they knew that during the reorganization of traffic on these key boulevards in the capital, they were committing "illegal actions", spending over BGN 1.5 million. Zografski pointed out that this project has been planned since the time when GERB were heading the administration. 

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Sega reports that from June 25, significant changes will be introduced in the movement of trains through Plovdiv station in connection with the start of large-scale repair works to modernize the infrastructure. In this phase of the major renovation of the railway system, a communication and transport breakthrough will be built under the railway area of ​​the Plovdiv station.

Telegraph writes that the European Consumer Centres Network is opening an information stand for cancelled, delayed flights and lost suitcases at Sofia Airport, Terminal 2, Departures. From 10 am to midnight, the stand will accept complaints from passengers. Detailed information will be provided in the event of delays, flight cancellations, denied boarding, lost or delayed baggage. The European Consumer Centres Network (ECCN) is part of a network in all EU member states, Iceland and Norway. ECCN Bulgaria is part of the Consumer Protection Commission.

HOME AFFAIRS

Telegraph reports that the Sofia City Court permanently remanded in custody a Ukrainian citizen  accused of espionage at the Maritsa East 2 thermal power plant. The court held that there was evidence from which a reasonable suspicion could be drawn that the accused had committed the crime he was charged with. 

Sega and Telegraph report that a 52-year-old cashier from Plovdiv stole BGN 144,200 from the bank where she worked. The pre-trial proceedings were initiated at the request of the bank's management, after an internal audit was carried out. The woman created BGN 100 templates with a cutting device and green paper for completing copies of banknotes and put them in place of the money she took. 

ECONOMY

24 Chasa reports that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lyudmila Petkova met the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, in Luxembourg and stated that the caretaker government is ready in the coming days to approve the draft bill on the introduction of the euro and to submit it for consideration by the National Assembly. 

24 Chasa writes that Caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policy Ivaylo Ivanov held a meeting with Turkiye's Ambassador in Sofia Mehmet Sait Uyanik, discussing opportunities for the development of bilateral cooperation between their countries in the labour market and facilitating access for workers from Turkiye and other non-EU Member States to the Bulgarian labour market.

Mediapool writes that wheat from European Union countries bordering the Black Sea is traded cheaper than production from other countries in Europe. The rich harvest in the Black Sea region helps lower prices. Wheat from countries such as Romania and Bulgaria is cheaper than that from main producers France and Russia, according to pricing by UkrAgroConsult.

Mediapool, 24 Chasa report that the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) is working to solve the problem of the extreme energy prices reached in May and is conducting an analysis of possible solutions. The EWRC indicated that by the end of next week, a decision will be made on a fairer way of distributing the costs of balancing electricity among all market participants.

24 Chasa writes that Bulgaria reported a slight improvement in individual consumption per capita, but continues to be in the group of countries with the lowest purchasing power in the EU (33% below the average), according to a report from the National Statistical Institute. The daily also adds that Bulgaria has the lowest prices for alcohol and tobacco, according to Eurostat.

24 Chasa writes that industrial zones and parks will  attract foreign investors and create new jobs. This is a chance for the re-industrialization of Bulgaria and for overcoming regional imbalances. The projects for industrial parks and zones, which the Ministry of Innovation and Growth is financing are located mainly in Northern Bulgaria - in Ruse, Shumen (two industrial parks), Svishtov, Lovech, Sofia, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Vidin, Targovishte and Sliven.

CULTURE, NATURE

Trud reports that the Plovdiv Municipal Council unanimously adopted a declaration for the return of the Panagyurishte Treasure to the Plovdiv Archaeological Museum from the  National History Museum. The dispute is old and so far unsuccessful over the years.  Caretaker Minister of Culture Nayden Todorov was adamant that the artifacts belong  in the National History Museum in Sofia. The Treasure has three replicas exhibited in Plovdiv, Panagyurishte and Sofia. Todorov defined the issue as "fabricated" and said that the return of the Panagyurishte Treasure to Plovdiv would not be a constructive action.

Trud writes that Ministry of Education and Science's  summer vacation programme for children and students offers over 5,000 free vacation forms and activities in which kids can participate, The selection is varied for all ages. There are sports training and competitions, culinary games, water games, arts classes, lego construction and fun math, summer academies in foreign languages, activities in libraries and museums, camps in nature, etc. The activities are organized by kindergartens, schools, personal development support centres, regional centres for supporting the process of inclusive education, municipalities, community centres, sports clubs, etc.

Telegraph writes that, according to NASA, the Black Sea has changed its colour sharply. Before, viewed from space, it had a dark blue colour, now due to the mass reproduction of phytoplankton, it has become emerald green. The biggest changes in colour are off the coast of Bulgaria and Romania.