Weekly Roundup of Political Events, April 30 - May 7
NW 08:01:01 08-05-2021
MY2036NW.102 08:01
102 POLITICS - WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Weekly Roundup
of Political Events,
April 30 - May 7
Sofia, May 8 (BTA) -
Sofia, May 1
Bulgaria marks May 1, Labour Day and International Workers' Solidarity Day, with parades and events across the country. President Rumen Radev and trade union leaders greet the nation's workers on their holiday. The Bulgarian Socialist Party also marks May 1 as the anniversary of the party's newspaper Douma and as day of the socialist press.
Sofia, May 1
The Bulgarian Socialist Party leadership decides that its parliamentary group will return the third government-forming mandate as soon as it is received from President Rumen Radev on May 5.
Sofia, May 2
On Easter Sunday, Patriarch Neophyte and the metropolitans of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church give an address to the nation. President Rumen Radev and outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov post well-wishes on their respective Facebook profiles on the occasion of the Resurrection of Christ, wishing best of health, peace and prosperity to all Bulgarians. Easter services are held in churches across the country.
Sofia, May 3
Outgoing Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov criticizes the recent revisions to the electoral legislation, saying they are damaging to democracy. In his view, new elections will again fail to lead to the formation of a cabinet and tens of millions of leva in taxpayer money will be wasted. Borissov says the Election Code amendments are intended to place the Central Election Commission in President Rumen Radev's hands.
Sofia, May 4
As Bulgaria receives a batch of 273,780 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov declares: "We can proudly say we have put an end to the third wave of COVID-19 in Bulgaria." Borissov says the Robert Koch Institute has delisted Bulgaria as a country of high epidemiological risk. Health Minister Kostadin Angelov says: "I want to stress that the third wave of COVID- passed virtually unnoticed in Bulgaria. Our medics coped. A huge thank you to them."
Sofia, May 5
President Rumen Radev says early parliamentary elections are likely to be held on July 11. The announcement comes after Radev presents the third, and last, cabinet-forming mandate to the parliamentary group of BSP for Bulgaria, which returns it immediately in line with a decision of its National Council. Radev warns that if the Parliament, which is to be elected in the upcoming snap elections, fails to produce a government too, "Bulgaria may end up in a political as well as a constitutional crisis."
Sofia, May 5
President Rumen Radev begins consultations with the parliamentary groups on the composition of the new Central Election Commission (CEC). It transpires that the GERB-UDF parliamentary group will have four representatives in the new CEC, There Is Such a People and the Bulgarian Socialist Party will have three members each, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and Democratic Bulgaria will have two members each, and Rise Up! Thugs Out! will have one. Former deputy interior minister and former MP Krassimir Tsipov is the only nomination for CEC chair. His candidacy is put forward by GERB-UDF and meets with disapproval by the other parliamentary groups.
Sofia, May 5
Parliament rejects on first reading a proposal for slashing the party subsidy to 1 lev from 8 leva for each valid vote a party won at the latest parliamentary elections. The motion for reducing the subsidy was made by There Is Such a People. In another important first-reading vote, the MPs approve in principle an update of pensions to persons who retired before the end of 2017, to bring them in line with the average monthly contributory income for 2018. Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova proposes that the changes be put immediately to a conclusive vote. National Assembly Chair Iva Miteva says there is agreement that the proposal needs to be fine-tuned.
Sofia, May 5
GERB petitions the Constitutional Court to declare unconstitutional provisions of the Act to Amend and Supplement the Election Code, passed conclusively on April 29 and entered into force on May 1. The controversial provisions scrap voting by paper ballot and replace it by machine voting only with minor exceptions, require the replacement of the incumbent Central Election Commission, and limit the application of the proportional representation system until the next regular parliamentary elections.
Sofia, May 5
The Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria (APB) alerts the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Venice Commission, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and the ambassadors of EU countries, the US and the UK in Bulgaria about "an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the independence of the judiciary" in connection with bills tabled by the 45th National Assembly, directly related to the rule of law.
Sofia, May 5
Bulgarian defence leaders hold a video conference with the national commanders of the Bulgarian military contingents abroad. The annual video conference takes place on the eve of May 6, the Day of Valour and the Bulgarian Armed Forces.
Sofia, May 5
The Foreign Ministry says Bulgaria's consular services in Russia resumed handling visa applications and issuing Bulgarian visas to Russian nationals. According to the Ministry, the visa issuance procedures have been streamlined as much as possible. Applications for Bulgarian visas can be submitted in 59 cities and 3 consulates in Russia.
Sofia, May 5
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov faces accusations levelled against himself and the entire governance model during a hearing of an ad hoc parliamentary committee scrutinizing the GERB incumbency. Svetoslav Ilchovski, a large landowner and grain producer, tells the committee about extensive schemes for pressuring businesses to cater to the power-holders' interests. The GERB members of the committee do not attend the hearing but storm the room with shouts and bangs on the tables halfway through Ilchovski's testimony. The hearing is adjourned until May 7.
Sofia, May 6
Bulgaria celebrates the Day of Valour and the Bulgarian Armed Forces. Due to the anti-epidemic restrictions, military displays take place in various locations instead of being concentrated in the capital. After a blessing-of-the-colours ceremony in Sofia, President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Rumen Radev, Vice President Iliana Iotova, outgoing Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov, the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova lay wreaths at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. A 21-gun salute is fired while the national anthem is played. Nearly 350 service members in seven blocks march past the dignitaries. An aerial display follows, involving helicopters, trainer aircraft, military transports, jet trainers, ground-attack aircraft and jet fighters. President Radev gives a special address to the nation.
Sofia, May 6
The so far ruling GERB party holds an unscheduled news briefing to announce that they are pulling out Krassimir Tsipov's nomination for chairperson of the new Central Election Commission (CEC). Party leader and outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov says that only GERB had the guts to nominate a CEC chair while all the rest evaded the responsibility. Explaining the withdrawal of the nomination, the Prime Minister describes the situation as a "snare" for GERB because Tsipov will be blamed if the new CEC fails to cope with the tasks assigned to it by the Election Code as last amended. The President's press secretariat says that on May 7 the head of State will hold additional consultations with the parliamentary parties and coalitions on rendering up a CEC chairperson.
Brussels, May 6
At a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Ambassadors, NATO expresses solidarity with Bulgaria in connection with Russia's destabilizing actions in its territory and reiterates its full support for Bulgaria's sovereignty. At the meeting, State Agency for National Security Chair Dimitar Georgiev and the acting Director of the Defence Intelligence Service, Colonel Velko Atanassov, brief the Council with the detected unlawful actions of Russian citizens in the territory of Bulgaria since 2011. These actions are related to four blasts at ammunition depots in Bulgaria between 2011 and 2020. All 29 NATO member countries make statements in support of Sofia.
Sofia, May 6
Announcing an easing of COVID-prompted restrictions in Bulgaria, Health Minister Kostadin Angelov says that, effective May 5, gatherings of people will no longer be limited to 15 persons, now that the country's COVID-19 metrics have improved. Not a single administrative region is red-coded, and recoveries are double the number of new infections, Angelov points out. The average infection rate varies from 150 to 300 per 100,000 population. "What matters most is to press ahead with the vaccination rollout as vigorously as possible at present," he says. He insists that Bulgaria is a risk-free tourist destination.
Sofia, May 7
There Is Such a People nominates Kamelia Neykova for chairperson of the new Central Election Commission (CEC) during additional consultations with President Rumen Radev. The nomination follows the withdrawal of the only other candidacy, GERB-UDF's Krassimir Tsipov. The President says he will appoint Neykova to the post. During her hearing at the President's Administration, Neykova, who is a former CEC spokesperson, says that the new CEC should "get off to a flying start" and begin making decisions meeting the Election Code deadlines as soon as the Commission's formation is decreed by the President. She calls the latest Election Code amendments "a major challenge."
Sofia, May 7
At a working meeting with outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, cabinet members report good socio-economic results and a successful COVID vaccine rollout. Outgoing Health Minister Kostadin Angelov says Bulgaria is doing "extremely well" handling the health crisis and ranks 20th among the 27 EU Member States in terms of infection rate on a 14-day basis. The outgoing ministers also hear snap budget statistics for January-April 2021.
Sofia, May 7
The National Assembly rejects a motion by BSP for Bulgaria that would assign the Council of Ministers to take all possible steps for procuring the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 and making it accessible to Bulgarian citizens.
Sofia, May 7
The National Assembly passes conclusively, on first and second reading, an Act to Ratify the Protocol to Amend the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Government of Romania regarding Air Policing Cross-Border Operations, signed in Rousse on March 18, 2021.
Sofia, May 7
The Parliamentary ad hoc parliamentary committee scrutinizing the GERB incumbency hears for a second day Svetoslav Ilchovski, a large landowner and grain producer, who told the committee at a Wednesday hearing about extensive schemes for pressuring businesses to cater to the power-holders' interests and about corruption. The Friday hearing starts with scadnals, interruptions and general lack of order. Ilchovski continues to claim that he had been pressured by GERB officials and that he had been asked to sign a fictitious deals with the Gradus company, owned by Ivan Angelov, a large poulty producer. Gradus' shares dropped by around 10 per cent on Friday. Angelov also appears for the Friday hearing to defend his integrity as a businessman and denies Ilchovski's allegations. Answering a question whether he has been contacted by the prosecution service or any other institution two days after making these allegations, Ilchovski says he has not been approached by any institutions yet. GERB MP Dani Kanazireva asks where the report from the hearing will be submitted, describing it as a political fiasco part of the election campaign. VE, MY
/МЙ/
MY2036NW.102 08:01
102 POLITICS - WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Weekly Roundup
of Political Events,
April 30 - May 7
Sofia, May 8 (BTA) -
Sofia, May 1
Bulgaria marks May 1, Labour Day and International Workers' Solidarity Day, with parades and events across the country. President Rumen Radev and trade union leaders greet the nation's workers on their holiday. The Bulgarian Socialist Party also marks May 1 as the anniversary of the party's newspaper Douma and as day of the socialist press.
Sofia, May 1
The Bulgarian Socialist Party leadership decides that its parliamentary group will return the third government-forming mandate as soon as it is received from President Rumen Radev on May 5.
Sofia, May 2
On Easter Sunday, Patriarch Neophyte and the metropolitans of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church give an address to the nation. President Rumen Radev and outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov post well-wishes on their respective Facebook profiles on the occasion of the Resurrection of Christ, wishing best of health, peace and prosperity to all Bulgarians. Easter services are held in churches across the country.
Sofia, May 3
Outgoing Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov criticizes the recent revisions to the electoral legislation, saying they are damaging to democracy. In his view, new elections will again fail to lead to the formation of a cabinet and tens of millions of leva in taxpayer money will be wasted. Borissov says the Election Code amendments are intended to place the Central Election Commission in President Rumen Radev's hands.
Sofia, May 4
As Bulgaria receives a batch of 273,780 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov declares: "We can proudly say we have put an end to the third wave of COVID-19 in Bulgaria." Borissov says the Robert Koch Institute has delisted Bulgaria as a country of high epidemiological risk. Health Minister Kostadin Angelov says: "I want to stress that the third wave of COVID- passed virtually unnoticed in Bulgaria. Our medics coped. A huge thank you to them."
Sofia, May 5
President Rumen Radev says early parliamentary elections are likely to be held on July 11. The announcement comes after Radev presents the third, and last, cabinet-forming mandate to the parliamentary group of BSP for Bulgaria, which returns it immediately in line with a decision of its National Council. Radev warns that if the Parliament, which is to be elected in the upcoming snap elections, fails to produce a government too, "Bulgaria may end up in a political as well as a constitutional crisis."
Sofia, May 5
President Rumen Radev begins consultations with the parliamentary groups on the composition of the new Central Election Commission (CEC). It transpires that the GERB-UDF parliamentary group will have four representatives in the new CEC, There Is Such a People and the Bulgarian Socialist Party will have three members each, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and Democratic Bulgaria will have two members each, and Rise Up! Thugs Out! will have one. Former deputy interior minister and former MP Krassimir Tsipov is the only nomination for CEC chair. His candidacy is put forward by GERB-UDF and meets with disapproval by the other parliamentary groups.
Sofia, May 5
Parliament rejects on first reading a proposal for slashing the party subsidy to 1 lev from 8 leva for each valid vote a party won at the latest parliamentary elections. The motion for reducing the subsidy was made by There Is Such a People. In another important first-reading vote, the MPs approve in principle an update of pensions to persons who retired before the end of 2017, to bring them in line with the average monthly contributory income for 2018. Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova proposes that the changes be put immediately to a conclusive vote. National Assembly Chair Iva Miteva says there is agreement that the proposal needs to be fine-tuned.
Sofia, May 5
GERB petitions the Constitutional Court to declare unconstitutional provisions of the Act to Amend and Supplement the Election Code, passed conclusively on April 29 and entered into force on May 1. The controversial provisions scrap voting by paper ballot and replace it by machine voting only with minor exceptions, require the replacement of the incumbent Central Election Commission, and limit the application of the proportional representation system until the next regular parliamentary elections.
Sofia, May 5
The Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria (APB) alerts the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Venice Commission, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and the ambassadors of EU countries, the US and the UK in Bulgaria about "an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the independence of the judiciary" in connection with bills tabled by the 45th National Assembly, directly related to the rule of law.
Sofia, May 5
Bulgarian defence leaders hold a video conference with the national commanders of the Bulgarian military contingents abroad. The annual video conference takes place on the eve of May 6, the Day of Valour and the Bulgarian Armed Forces.
Sofia, May 5
The Foreign Ministry says Bulgaria's consular services in Russia resumed handling visa applications and issuing Bulgarian visas to Russian nationals. According to the Ministry, the visa issuance procedures have been streamlined as much as possible. Applications for Bulgarian visas can be submitted in 59 cities and 3 consulates in Russia.
Sofia, May 5
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov faces accusations levelled against himself and the entire governance model during a hearing of an ad hoc parliamentary committee scrutinizing the GERB incumbency. Svetoslav Ilchovski, a large landowner and grain producer, tells the committee about extensive schemes for pressuring businesses to cater to the power-holders' interests. The GERB members of the committee do not attend the hearing but storm the room with shouts and bangs on the tables halfway through Ilchovski's testimony. The hearing is adjourned until May 7.
Sofia, May 6
Bulgaria celebrates the Day of Valour and the Bulgarian Armed Forces. Due to the anti-epidemic restrictions, military displays take place in various locations instead of being concentrated in the capital. After a blessing-of-the-colours ceremony in Sofia, President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Rumen Radev, Vice President Iliana Iotova, outgoing Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov, the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova lay wreaths at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. A 21-gun salute is fired while the national anthem is played. Nearly 350 service members in seven blocks march past the dignitaries. An aerial display follows, involving helicopters, trainer aircraft, military transports, jet trainers, ground-attack aircraft and jet fighters. President Radev gives a special address to the nation.
Sofia, May 6
The so far ruling GERB party holds an unscheduled news briefing to announce that they are pulling out Krassimir Tsipov's nomination for chairperson of the new Central Election Commission (CEC). Party leader and outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov says that only GERB had the guts to nominate a CEC chair while all the rest evaded the responsibility. Explaining the withdrawal of the nomination, the Prime Minister describes the situation as a "snare" for GERB because Tsipov will be blamed if the new CEC fails to cope with the tasks assigned to it by the Election Code as last amended. The President's press secretariat says that on May 7 the head of State will hold additional consultations with the parliamentary parties and coalitions on rendering up a CEC chairperson.
Brussels, May 6
At a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Ambassadors, NATO expresses solidarity with Bulgaria in connection with Russia's destabilizing actions in its territory and reiterates its full support for Bulgaria's sovereignty. At the meeting, State Agency for National Security Chair Dimitar Georgiev and the acting Director of the Defence Intelligence Service, Colonel Velko Atanassov, brief the Council with the detected unlawful actions of Russian citizens in the territory of Bulgaria since 2011. These actions are related to four blasts at ammunition depots in Bulgaria between 2011 and 2020. All 29 NATO member countries make statements in support of Sofia.
Sofia, May 6
Announcing an easing of COVID-prompted restrictions in Bulgaria, Health Minister Kostadin Angelov says that, effective May 5, gatherings of people will no longer be limited to 15 persons, now that the country's COVID-19 metrics have improved. Not a single administrative region is red-coded, and recoveries are double the number of new infections, Angelov points out. The average infection rate varies from 150 to 300 per 100,000 population. "What matters most is to press ahead with the vaccination rollout as vigorously as possible at present," he says. He insists that Bulgaria is a risk-free tourist destination.
Sofia, May 7
There Is Such a People nominates Kamelia Neykova for chairperson of the new Central Election Commission (CEC) during additional consultations with President Rumen Radev. The nomination follows the withdrawal of the only other candidacy, GERB-UDF's Krassimir Tsipov. The President says he will appoint Neykova to the post. During her hearing at the President's Administration, Neykova, who is a former CEC spokesperson, says that the new CEC should "get off to a flying start" and begin making decisions meeting the Election Code deadlines as soon as the Commission's formation is decreed by the President. She calls the latest Election Code amendments "a major challenge."
Sofia, May 7
At a working meeting with outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, cabinet members report good socio-economic results and a successful COVID vaccine rollout. Outgoing Health Minister Kostadin Angelov says Bulgaria is doing "extremely well" handling the health crisis and ranks 20th among the 27 EU Member States in terms of infection rate on a 14-day basis. The outgoing ministers also hear snap budget statistics for January-April 2021.
Sofia, May 7
The National Assembly rejects a motion by BSP for Bulgaria that would assign the Council of Ministers to take all possible steps for procuring the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 and making it accessible to Bulgarian citizens.
Sofia, May 7
The National Assembly passes conclusively, on first and second reading, an Act to Ratify the Protocol to Amend the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Government of Romania regarding Air Policing Cross-Border Operations, signed in Rousse on March 18, 2021.
Sofia, May 7
The Parliamentary ad hoc parliamentary committee scrutinizing the GERB incumbency hears for a second day Svetoslav Ilchovski, a large landowner and grain producer, who told the committee at a Wednesday hearing about extensive schemes for pressuring businesses to cater to the power-holders' interests and about corruption. The Friday hearing starts with scadnals, interruptions and general lack of order. Ilchovski continues to claim that he had been pressured by GERB officials and that he had been asked to sign a fictitious deals with the Gradus company, owned by Ivan Angelov, a large poulty producer. Gradus' shares dropped by around 10 per cent on Friday. Angelov also appears for the Friday hearing to defend his integrity as a businessman and denies Ilchovski's allegations. Answering a question whether he has been contacted by the prosecution service or any other institution two days after making these allegations, Ilchovski says he has not been approached by any institutions yet. GERB MP Dani Kanazireva asks where the report from the hearing will be submitted, describing it as a political fiasco part of the election campaign. VE, MY
/МЙ/
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