site.btaMedia Review: March 26

On Wednesday, all Bulgarian news media cover that the National Assembly reinstated the parliamentary group of the Morality, Unity Honour (MECh) party. The special resolution draft was tabled by the There Is Such a People. The proposal was voted in favour by 170 MPs from GERB-UDF, Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), Movement for Rights and Freedoms – Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (MRF-DRF), Velichie, and some of the MPs of the BSP – United Left coalition. Delyan Peevski’s Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning did not vote.

Earlier in the day, MECh supporters, led by party leader Radostin Vasilev held a protest against the disbandment of the parliamentary group, blocking the traffic in downtown Sofia.

The MECh group was disbanded on March 21 when the number of its MPs dropped below the required 10 when National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova announced that the MECh group ceased to exist after the resignation of its member Samuil Slavov left it temporarily with nine members, one fewer than the minimum required for the formation of a parliamentary group. Earlier in March, Bird.bg revealed that, in 2010, Slavov had been arrested in the US for ATM skimming. According to Bird.bg, initially Slavov denied but then confessed to the arrests. Back then, Slavov spent 4 months in prison, as confirmed by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office in Florida. The fewer-than-required-MPs situation was also a result of a Constitutional Court decision that revised the number of MPs of all groups in Parliament.

Currently, MECh has a total of 11 MPs after the recalculation of the results of the October 2024 parliamentary elections, but two of those have not yet taken their oath of office.

***

Another topic dominating Wednesday’s news media is the protest of employees from the 12 state psychiatric hospitals in front of the Health Ministry building in Sofia. Their demonstration aims to draw the government's attention to the problems of state psychiatric institutions, which did not receive the necessary support with the adoption of the 2025 State Budget Act. Employees in these hospitals received only a 5% salary increase, far below their demanded 50% raise.

In an interview with Mediapool.bg, Dr. Tsveteslava Galabova, director of the St. Ivan Rilski State Psychiatric Hospital in Sofia’s Kurilo district, said: "Our demands from last week’s three-day protest remain unchanged—we want a unified evaluation of the work of medical professionals in state psychiatric hospitals, which would ensure annual salary indexation. At present, we are insisting on a 50% increase, but we were given only 5%, which is an insult. We also demand to be reclassified to second-category workers," Galabova stressed. She emphasized that, currently, the starting salary for a junior doctor without a specialization is around BGN 2,000, while a store clerk in a large supermarket chain earns some BGN 2,600. "A junior doctor starting with a BGN 2,000 salary has no seniority bonus and takes home about BGN 1,600-1,700 net. The head of a department – the most senior doctor in our hospital, who is 70 years old with 47 years of experience, 43 of which in psychiatry – earns just under BGN 3,100 net. A nurse with 35-40 years of experience earns between BGN 1,800 and 2,000," Galabova explained. She clarified that these figures were before the insulting increase of 5%. For comparison, she noted that in Stuttgart, Germany, where recruitment efforts are underway for medical professionals, psychiatrists with little or no experience are offered a German language course if needed and a starting salary of EUR 6,000.

POLITICS

In a Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) interview, Market LINKS sociologist Dobromir Zhivkov commented that the small parties in Parliament (MECh and Velichie) do not pose a threat to the ruling majority. According to him, if any problem arises within the current ruling majority, it will be internal – between the political formations that compose it. "It seems that the majority is currently stable enough, even if MRF-DRF step back," Zhivkov said, adding: "At least in the coming months, there will be no external threat to the existence of this [ruling] coalition. Internal issues are a different matter," he noted, referring to the relationship between GERB leader Boyko Borissov and MRF – New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski. "Will Peevski continue to openly declare that he is running the show!? Such rhetoric completely discourages GERB's willingness, as we see, to publicly and actively defend this majority. I think there is also a certain limit, which might already be starting to show in Peevski’s public behaviour. However, we have seen that his stance is highly volatile – one day, things may be calm, but the next, they could escalate to an extreme," Zhivkov observed. According to him, Bulgaria is undergoing a transition from the GERB governance model to the New Beginning governance model. "Everything that Peevski says happens," Zhivkov emphasized.

The situation with the party of MECh is indicative of the overall quality of parliamentary work and parliamentarism in Bulgaria as a whole, Zhivkov said.

***

Speaking on Bulgarian National Television’s morning talk show on Wednesday, CC-DB MP Kristina Petkova said that CC-DB will not support the motion of no confidence against the cabinet, initiated by the euro-skeptic, pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party, which argues that the government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has "systematically failed in the country's foreign policy". According to Vazrazhdane, Bulgaria is "involved in a foreign geopolitical conflict" and that the sanctions against Russia "are causing significant damage to the Bulgarian economy".

"The vote of no confidence concerns a specific topic. There is no way our [parliamentary] group will support an issue that contradicts our entire political identity and values we share. We will not support the no-confidence motion on foreign policy," Petkova explained. "We have clearly outlined our priorities, what we expect, and what we will demand. There is no debate that the Recovery and Resilience Plan is a complete failure for this government. They cannot clearly define their priorities. In terms of funds for [the National] Retrofitting [Programme], for example, they insistently promote the idea that this activity should be entirely free of charge, which is not true, not right, and not politically or economically sustainable. And this is just one example," Petkova added.

Later in the day, DB co-leader Atanas Atanasov confirmed Petkova’s words that CC-DB will not support Vazrazhdane’s motion of no confidence. However, CC co-leader Assen Vassilev suggested that CC-DB might initiate another motion of no confidence. According to him, this would happen if, after the release of the report on the eurozone, not all the bills regarding the Recovery and Resilience Plan are passed. Both Atanasov and Vassilev made their statements in the corridors of Parliament and were quoted by most major news media.

SPYING FOR RUSSIA

Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev whose work on Russian affairs included uncovering Russian links to the 2018 Salisbury attack, the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in July 2014, and tracked down late Russian opposition dissident Alexei Navalny’s poisoners, gave an interview to bTV in which he commented on Bulgarian nationals Cvetelina Gencheva and Tsvetanka Doncheva, who were part of a Russian spy network run from the UK, according to a BBC investigation.

Grozev told bTV that he had never seen Doncheva, about whom the BBC claims that she helped spy on Grozev in Vienna, occupying a flat opposite where he lived and operating a camera that took images of his home. "I was first informed about Tsvetanka Doncheva six months ago by the Austrian police when they started investigating her. In fact, she was briefly detained in December. She remains under investigation in Austria, but the prosecuting magistracy has reportedly requested her detention. The temporary court reviewing the detention measure ruled that she is not a flight risk and allowed her to remain at home," Grozev explained.

According to him, Doncheva moved to Austria with her mother a long time ago and worked in unskilled jobs. "Some of my acquaintances even told me they had seen her working as a cleaner in various places. As far as I understand, at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, she started changing her views and became very active on social media. She posted pro-Russian sentiments in her posts. She uploaded a photo of a t-shirt with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's face, saying she would like to have a child with him. From other people, I have learned that during the pandemic, she claimed that COVID was a Western fabrication," Grozev added.

Dnevnik.bg also covers the topic thoroughly.

***

On Nova TV’s morning talk show, former State Intelligence Agency director Dimo Gyaurov shared his opinion that "Bulgaria is teeming with Russian spies". "Journalists are also part of them [the cells in the spy network] because they spread disinformation and propaganda in favour of Russia and various other causes that contradict our national interest", Gyaurov stressed. "It is crucial to get a clear answer from the Interior Ministry, the State Agency for National Security, and the prosecuting magistracy on whether charges have been brought against the two Bulgarian women [Doncheva and Gencheva], who are suspected of such crimes in Austria and the UK," Gyaurov underscored.

TOLL FEES

The 24 Chasa daily frontpages an interview with National Toll Administration (BGTOLL) head Oleg Asenov, who comments that the toll administration’s traffic cameras now detect the average speed of vehicles passing through the section in between. Asenov also explains in details the increase in toll fees for heavy-duty vehicles and vignette prices for passenger cars, as outlined in the 2025 State Budget. A 10% increase in vignette prices for passenger cars and toll fees for heavy-duty vehicles is set to take effect on April 1. Additionally, another 10% toll fee increase for heavy-duty vehicles is planned for September 1. The goal is to boost annual revenue from road charges to fund road repairs and construction.

SPORT

Segabg.com publishes an interview with Delyan Kyuchukov, head of the sports editorial team at Segabg.com, who describes MRF – New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski as "the common denominator behind the turmoil in Bulgarian sports". According to Kyuchukov, Peevski intervenes both publicly and behind the scenes, but his influence on processes within sports federations, the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC), and even the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator (popularly known as the Toto lottery) is becoming increasingly evident.

"Since the beginning of the year, he [Peevski] has shown extraordinary activity in sports. It is unclear why he suddenly decided to get involved, but for example, in late January, he publicly announced that he was personally taking over the responsibilities of the [national] weightlifting federation. He presented himself as a saviour. Then came the drama in the [national] wrestling federation. Peevski didn’t appear in person, but his name was directly associated with the victory of Stanka Zlateva and her election as the new President," said Kyuchukov.

According to the journalist, the farce unfolding in BOC following Vesela Lecheva’s election as the new President is, in fact, a well-planned scenario. "It seems like a well-thought-out Plan B for Stefka Kostadinova, in case she lost the elections. A plan to delay and block Vesela Lecheva’s work. Stefka Kostadinova really did something unacceptable for the president of such a public organization, which, according to the Olympic Charter, cannot mix politics into its affairs. She went and conferred with politician Delyan Peevski at the office of his MRF faction. This photo, of course, quickly circulated in the media. After that, most people at the Assembly thought that this was a bad signal. That this is not how things are done," the journalist explained.

Olympic shooting medallist Vesela Lecheva was elected BOC President after a secret ballot at the General Assembly of the organization on March 19, defeating world high jump legend Stefka Kostadinova by 48:33 votes. Kostadinova had led the BOC since 2005 and was seeking to be re-elected for a sixth consecutive term. Shortly after the end of the General Assembly on March 19, Kostadinova ordered the sealing of BOC’s financial department and registry office. She said she was taking security measures to prevent the leakage of documents. On Monday, the Sofia City Court suspended Lecheva’s entry in the Commercial Register. Following these events, Kostadinova remains the acting BOC President until the final court ruling.

"The connection between Peevski and the reshuffling of the leadership at the Toto can also be clearly traced," Kyuchukov further said. "It is enough to start with the family history, where his mother Irena Krasteva was the head of the lottery when the National Movement for Stability and Progress [also known as the Simeon II National Movement] was [the] ruling [party]. So, it’s no coincidence that the Sports Ministry intervened in the middle of a weekend night to fire the leadership of the Sports Totalizator after a personal request from Peevski. […] The lottery is an absolutely profitable structure, and that’s why it’s so appetizing. It’s like a protected species in the gambling industry. Politicians themselves refer to the lottery as a feeding ground for political parties. There are many tempting public procurement contracts there. Whoever controls the lottery controls the levers," Kyuchukov further said, as quoted by Segabg.com.

WATER SHORTAGE

Nova TV reported that although there are still three months until the start of summer, Bulgaria’s driest season, over 150,000 residents in the country are already facing water restrictions. According to data from water supply companies, out of these 150,000 people, some 110,000 are in Pleven Region, 12,000 in Veliko Tarnovo Region, over 10,000 in Pernik Region, and more than 5,000 in the regions of Targovishte and Plovdiv. Water restrictions are also in place in various settlements across six other regions in Bulgaria.

MARCH 26 IN HISTORY

On March 26, Bulgaria observes Thrace Day, and in 2025, the date marks the 112th anniversary of the Edirne Epopee. The capture of the fortress in the Ottoman city of Edirne (Siege of Adrianople) – previously considered impregnable – by Bulgarian and Serbian forces in 1913 was a decisive victory that ended the First Balkan War and brought freedom to the Thracian Bulgarians. However, just months later, the joy of victory was overshadowed by the tragedy of hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians who were massacred or expelled from Eastern Thrace by the Ottomans. Since 2006, March 26 has been officially recognized as Thrace Day in honour of the thousands of Thracian refugees who found shelter in Bulgaria, BNR recalls.