Predictably, Tuesday was dominated by election post mortems. One thing is clear - with 100 percent of ballots counted, there will be six parties in the next National Assembly, with the nationalists of VMRO falling 10,000 votes short. Although some pundits foresee a grand coalition between the status quo parties - GERB, BSP and MRF - statements from the latter two discount it. The only likely alternative could be an anti-GERB coalition composed of Slavi Trifonov's party and the two protest forces, Democratic Bulgaria and "Stand up! Thugs out," backed by BSP. It seems that, despite its total defeat, the socialist party could still play a key role. The party leader Kornelia Ninova, who defied calls to resign, seems eager to take the initiative.
BSP leader calls anti-GERB parties to oppose Sofia Airport concession deal changes
"The government is planning to approve the request of the concessionaire of Sofia Airport to defer the payment of the annual fee for ten years, but continue enjoying the benefits of operating it," said Ms Ninova at a press briefing on Tuesday. She called on the three anti-GERB factions to join her party and stop the authorities from approving this decision. "If you want to act upon your pre-election promises to change the model of governance [of the country], let us do it today and stop the Council of Ministers from taking this decision tomorrow," she said. Ms Ninova added that the first motion BSP will propose in the new parliament is to put a moratorium on any deals that Boyko Borissov's outgoing government signs at the end of his mandate.
Economedia publisher Ivo Prokopiev acquitted over money laundering charges
The Sofia Court of Appeal has ended criminal proceedings against businessman and Economedia publisher Ivo Prokopiev over a money laundering case connected to the sale of the mining company Kaolin. Mr Prokopiev, who is publisher of Capital weekly, Dnevnik.bg and Kapital Insights, was indicted alongside two of his associates from Alpha Finance Holding by the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in 2018, for illegally profiting from the sale of Kaolin to the German company Quarzwerke GmbH. The case was one of several highly publicized controversial indictments by the State Prosecution and, later, the Specialized Prosecution against Mr Prokopiev. Bulgarian and international media watchdogs have cited the anti-establishment stances adopted by his publications as a reason for his persecution.
Sofia property prices up 8,6 percent in 2020: Knight Frank
The spike in real estate prices in the Bulgarian capital puts Sofia in 40th place out of 150 surveyed cities in a report by the global real estate consulting firm Knight Frank. In 2020, properties in Sofia increased by 8,6 percent pricier, making the capital one of the "best places for low-risk investment," the report claims. A year ago, the city was ranked 90th, Sega.bg writes. Sofia is in the league of cities such as Ankara, Istanbul, Oakland, St Petersburg, Moscow and Seoul in terms of rising prices, while prices of real estate in Dubai, Barcelona and Madrid have dropped during the pandemic.
Predictably, Tuesday was dominated by election post mortems. One thing is clear - with 100 percent of ballots counted, there will be six parties in the next National Assembly, with the nationalists of VMRO falling 10,000 votes short. Although some pundits foresee a grand coalition between the status quo parties - GERB, BSP and MRF - statements from the latter two discount it. The only likely alternative could be an anti-GERB coalition composed of Slavi Trifonov's party and the two protest forces, Democratic Bulgaria and "Stand up! Thugs out," backed by BSP. It seems that, despite its total defeat, the socialist party could still play a key role. The party leader Kornelia Ninova, who defied calls to resign, seems eager to take the initiative.
