site.btaMedia Review: July 8

HEADLINES 

On its front page, Trud has a story titled "Parties Will Not Give Up Battle for Regular Government". The daily notes that according to its own poll among the main political parties, excluding the largest political force, GERB-UDF, the chances of forming a cabinet are rising despite Parliament’s refusal to back the coalition’s Prime Minister-designate Rosen Zhelyazkov last Wednesday. Trud quotes political analyst Prof. Svetoslav Malinov as saying that what will bring stability is for Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) to receive the third cabinet forming mandate and propose an expert government.

In its lead story, Trud quotes the EU’s Safety Gate system, which warns of unsafe deodorants, shampoos, hair conditioners, and shower gels from popular brands containing a banned chemical. The daily quotes Gabriela Rumenova of the We the Consumers platform as saying that the chemical, propionaldehyde (BMHCA), increases the risk of fertility problems, allergies, and vision impairment.

Duma’s lead story bears the headline "53% of Bulgarians Have Not Even Heard about the Constitutional Amendments". The daily quotes the latest survey by the National Centre for Parliamentary Research, according to which just 29.8% of respondents are aware of the revisions to the country’s basic law adopted by Parliament in December 2023. The survey also shows that 59% of Bulgarians believe that this country should remain in NATO, and 18% support the provision of assistance to Ukraine.

Telegraph reports a boom in companies buying end-of-life vehicles and making big profits. A check done by the daily shows that a company would make three times its investment in a medium class car from the sale of its parts.

24 Chasa’s top story says that garages are getting pricier than apartments. The tendency is observed mainly in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas. Referring to ads on real estate websites, the daily writes that a three-car garage in Varna is on the market for a record price of EUR 110,000. 

POLITICS

Journalist and Epicenter.bg editor-in-chief Valeria Veleva, sociologist and Market LINKS Managing Director Dobromir Zhivkov, and political analyst Stoycho Stoychev were guests on the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) morning programme, where they discussed the political deadlock, the crisis of established parties, and the possibility of the 50th National Assembly electing a government, among others.

In an extensive interview with Telegraph, political analyst Prof. Rumyana Kolarova says that the time for an expert government has passed. The third government forming mandate would be worthwhile only if there is a guarantee for a broad coalition, she notes. Commenting on the inability of the parties in the new National Assembly to find a formula for cabinet formation, Kolarova says that "a reorganization and some sort of disintegration are taking place in each of the formations in Parliament", which is caused by a need for a reshuffling at the top. Due to the instability within the parties and in the relations between the formations, no lasting coalitions or strategic partnerships can be formed. Kolarova notes that it is crucial that party strategies and the way political nominations are made get reformed swiftly and effectively. She notes that all parties will suffer damage after the 50th National Assembly, adding that snap parliamentary elections will benefit There Is Such a People, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), and GERB-UDF. She notes that the damage will be greater for Vazrazhdane and CC-DB if early elections are scheduled soon instead of an expert government being formed.

24 Chasa has a two-page interview with Hristo Ivanov, ex-leader of Yes Bulgaria, which is part of the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition. Ivanov says that the formation's poor election results "have indicated voters' negative assessment of us, and we need to find out how to start winning back support". He notes that the focus of the political discourse is on who they oppose instead of what should be done in the future. "DB had stated that it would run in the elections with the goal of pursuing reforms. The assessment that we could not participate in the formation of a government was based on the fact that it seemed like no configuration could offer the fulfilment of this commitment. If the rift in the MRF creates the conditions for the reforms we are proposing, we are obliged to commit ourselves to an effort to do that," Ivanov said.

MOVEMENT FOR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

24 Chasa gives front-page prominence to a story about Delyan Peevski, one of the two MRF chairs, and Honorary Chairman Ahmed Dogan. The daily says that both have spoken of unity following a meeting Dogan held with party members at his residence in Rossenets Park near Burgas (on the Black Sea) over the weekend. The media outlet notes that the meeting was attended by MPs who heeded Dogan’s call to vote against the election of GERB-UDF's prime minister designate, Rosen Zhelyazkov, on July 3.

The recent tensions within the MRF emerged after GERB-UDF's proposed cabinet lineup was denied approval in Parliament, with 30 MRF MPs voting in favour, 14 against, and one abstaining. Before the vote, Ramadan Atalay of the MRF said that there was a direct order from Dogan that the MRF parliamentary group should not support the proposed government.

In the same story, 24 Chasa quotes Peevski’s statement released by the party press centre on Sunday, in which the MRF chair denies a rift in his relations with Dogan and addresses him as follows: "I have always been by your side, you have always been able to count on me, and this has not changed."

Trud also has a story on Peevski, quoting him as saying in the statement: "There is no, and there cannot be any confrontation between Dogan and Peevski. There is no, and there cannot be a Dogan-Peevski conflict. There is no, and there cannot be a Dogan-Peevski issue".

Speaking on the BNT morning programme, MRF Deputy Floor Leader Iskra Mihaylova said that communication between Dogan and Peevski has always been "sufficiently operational and effective". She was adamant that there is no Peevski-Dogan division in the party, adding that MRF is a unified "strong party". Mihaylova noted that it would be speculation to say that Dogan is giving orders.

MRF MP Hamid Hamid appeared on the bTV morning show, where he said that "MRF is a team". He noted that Peevski and Dogan have "a great relationship" and Ramadan Atalay "cannot set them against each other for personal gain". The same points were made by Bayram Bayram, Depty Floor Leader of the party, who was a guest on the Nova TV morning programme.

Interviewed on BNR, political analyst Teodor Slavev from the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives described MRF as "one of the most nontransparent parties in Bulgaria". In his words, "in similar shakeups in the MRF before, the end result has always been that Dogan wins". "Dogan has the last word in MRF. The party is apparently rattled. Peevski has started a purge. Dogan will have to restore his power in the structures. This is currently happening. But it is obvious that there are tensions."

VELICHIE

24 Chasa and Dnevnik.bg quote the Velichie party ideologue, Ivelin Mihaylov, as saying in a Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) interview on Sunday that he would run for MP in the next parliamentary elections so he can be at the helm of the parliamentary group if he gets elected. The party’s floor leader in the current parliament was Nikolay Markov. That was until Friday, when the group ceased to exist after six of its 13 members submitted applications to leave, with a minimum of 10 MPs required to form a parliamentary group.

Following this development, MP Darin Georgiev said that "this is the end of Velichie”.

Speaking on BNR, Krasimira Katincharova, Velichie MP in the Stara Zagora constituency, said that the news of the party’s end is greatly exaggerated. She added that the six MPs who became independent after the parliamentary group was disbanded will "remain loyal to Velichie" and "not vote together with GERB and MRF".  

NATO

US Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten has given an interview to Trud ahead of the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., on July 9-11. He said that Bulgaria's leadership and its commitment to Euro-Atlantic ideas are fundamentally important for NATO's strength and unity. The upcoming summit will further strengthen the unity and resolve of the Alliance, ensuring that NATO continues to stand firm in the face of global challenges. If Russia wins in Ukraine, the world will become a more dangerous place, Merten noted. Asked whether it is possible for the Alliance to directly intervene in the war in Ukraine by sending troops, Merten said that NATO’s aim is not to wage war but to prevent it. He cited NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as saying that the Alliance has no plans to deploy forces, adding that the efforts are focused on supporting NATO sovereignty and territorial integrity by other means. Ukraine's future lies at NATO, the diplomat said in response to a question whether the country will be invited to join the Alliance after all. He added that Ukraine’s membership is a matter of when, not if.  Although NATO will not extend a formal invitation to Ukraine at the July summit, the Alliance is working to bring Ukraine as close as possible to NATO. This includes capacity building to align Ukraine’s defence and security sectors with NATO standards, improve defence procurement, and enhance Ukraine’s defence-industrial base. Membership in the Alliance will be Ukraine's ultimate security guarantee and will ensure lasting peace, Merten said, adding that Bulgaria's firm support for Ukraine and its leadership in NATO play a key role in making these efforts a reality.

ECONOMY

Interviewed on BNR, Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria National Secretary Velichka Mikova comments on the latest European data, according to which Bulgaria has one of the longest working weeks in the EU (39 hours), with the EU average being 36 hours. Bulgaria is followed only by Greece, with almost 40 hours, and Romania and Poland, with over 39 hours each. At the other end of the spectrum is the Netherlands, with just over 32 hours a week. Mikova said that many people in Bulgaria work more than 8 hours a day, or 40 hours a week, because they have to compensate for their low income with extra hours of work. She cited Spain, Belgium and German as examples of countries who have already started testing the four-day workweek.

24 Chasa also covers the topic, noting that Greece has recently become the first EU country to introduce a six-day working week.

SPORTS

Telegraph has a lead story about Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who has broken the 2.09 m world record in the women's high jump, set by Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova in Rome on August 30, 1987. The Ukrainian cleared the bar at 2.10 m at the Diamond League meet in Paris on Sunday. The story is also on the front page of 24 Chasa with the following headline: "Stefka Kostadinova’s 37-year-old Record Beaten".

CRIME

Telegraph reports that two Bulgarian nationals have been brought to trial in the Greek city of Arta for alleged involvement in telephone fraud. The pair were arrested after two Greek pensioners complained that they had been cheated out of a total of EUR 57,000.