site.btaRumen Petkov of The Left! Coalition Launches Campaign in Burgas

Meeting with sympathizers in Burgas on Sunday, Rumen Petkov, leader of the ABV party of The Left! Coalition, focused on the Lukoil Neftochim oil refinery based in that city. He said the refinery was operating at a loss.

"GERB, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms have used the oil refinery as a punchball. This pressure on one of Europe's most high-tech enterprises cannot continue indefinitely. We must realize that the awful measures taken against the refinery through the National Assembly have made oil extremely expensive," Petkov said.

"The time will come the owners will close down the refinery and neither Putin, nor Russia nor the owners will be to blame. We will be the ones to blame because of our tolerance for political entities whose goals have nothing to do with solving Bulgaria's problems," Petkov said. Burgas Region is being deindustrialized and the city has just four enterprises in operation, he added.

He was referring to a National Assembly resolution of March 1 which revoked the derogation from the EU ban on oil imports from Russia granted to Bulgaria by the European Commission in 2022. It was revoked ahead of the European Commission deadline of December 31, 2024.

Petkov also talked about security in the Black Sea region.

Sevda Gaydarova, who is second on the list in the Burgas constituency, said Bulgaria needs a working Parliament, a working executive, a corruption-free judiciary and reliable law-enforcement bodies. It is time to elect MPs who think responsibly, she said.