On Wednesday another protest blocked central Sofia - this time it was miners and employees of the coal-powered plants from the Maritza basin. They are opposing plans to shut down the Maritza East complex by the mid-2030s, to which the caretaker government had to commit in order to submit its Recovery and Resilience plan for EU funds. In other news - parties, coalitions and presidential candidates have been assigned the numbers that will appear on their ballots in the upcoming 14 November elections.
President Rumen Radev in convincing lead in first polls
According to Alpha Research, the acting President - who also enjoys the highest approval ratings of all politicians - is likely to receive 42.6 percent of the vote in November, followed by GERB-backed nominee Prof Anastas Gerdjikov. The rector of Sofia University is likely to get just over 28 percent of the vote. Lozan Panov, the last entrant into the presidential race, who is backed by Democratic Bulgaria, would likely receive 8.2 percent of the vote, the survey claims. This makes him the third most popular presidential contender.
Health Ministry mulls new restrictive measures as Covid hospitalizations rise
With over 71 percent of the 7268 hospital beds dedicated to Covid patients occupied, the Ministry of Health announced it is considering urgent nation-wide restrictions to stop the spread of the infection. In Sofia, where hospitals are all but full, the regional health inspectorate has already started imposing stricter measures. These include limiting attendance of cultural events to 30 percent capacity, banning conferences and congresses, and banning audience attendance at sports events.
Specialized Prosecution announces investigation into Kiril Petkov's citizenship debacle
The special anti-corruption organ said on Wednesday it has been investigating the issue of We Continue the Change leader Kiril Petkov's Canadian citizenship since 24 August. The investigation is based on an article in the tabloid Trud (close to MRF and GERB), which claims that Mr Petkov has committed a crime by pledging he was not a holder of double citizenship when he was appointed caretaker Minister of the Economy in May. According to the Bulgarian constitution, no person holding two citizenships can hold high office. Mr Petkov's case is currently being decided in the Constitutional Court.
On Wednesday another protest blocked central Sofia - this time it was miners and employees of the coal-powered plants from the Maritza basin. They are opposing plans to shut down the Maritza East complex by the mid-2030s, to which the caretaker government had to commit in order to submit its Recovery and Resilience plan for EU funds. In other news - parties, coalitions and presidential candidates have been assigned the numbers that will appear on their ballots in the upcoming 14 November elections.
