The day in 3 news: Pro-Ukraine mass march on Thursday, WCC nominates Andrey Gyurov to head National Bank, Parliament votes to dissolve specialized court

Andrei Gyurov

The day in 3 news: Pro-Ukraine mass march on Thursday, WCC nominates Andrey Gyurov to head National Bank, Parliament votes to dissolve specialized court

Andrei Gyurov

© Georgi Kozhouharov


On Wednesday Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov told his cabinet that Sofia would sanction Russian ambassador to the country Eleonora Mitrofanova for telling Russian TV channel Rossiya 24 that "the Bulgarian people do not support their government's rhetoric and actions vis-a-vis the special operation in Ukraine". Mr Petkov rejected this. "We can't accept a foreign ambassador talking on behalf of the Bulgarian people against its own government," he said. In the meantime

Civic activists plan mass march in support of Ukraine for Thursday

As we mark one month since Russia invaded Ukraine, civil activists have organized the first mass march in support of the besieged nation, which will take place at 18:30 on Thursday, 24 March. The protest goes under the banner "Bulgaria stands with Ukraine" and will kick off at the Presidency, and then move on towards the Borissova park. Aside from supporting Kyiv, protesters want to reiterate that "we are here, we are part of the EU and NATO, we have made our civilization choice and we stand by it". Similar peace marches are due to take place in Burgas today and in Varna on Saturday.

WCC nominates Andrey Gyurov MP for National Bank governor

The ruling coalition faces a serious conundrum as the biggest party, WCC, decided to nominate its own MP Andrey Gyurov to be governor of the National Bank. This means that there will be two contenders for the post, after TISP MP and former banker Lyubomir Karimanski pushed his own candidature, seeking support from the opposition parties - GERB, Vazrazhdane and MRF. If Mr Karimanski gets elected with the votes of the opposition, this would likely seriously shake up the coalition.

Ruling coalition claims "first step towards judicial reform" with vote to dissolve the specialized magistrature

Parliament has voted on first sitting to dissolve the Specialized Court and Prosecution, which have been described as instruments for pressuring political and business opponents by reformist politicians and experts alike. There were 134 votes "for," coming from the four coalition partners and Vazrazhdane, and 73 votes "against" - from MRF and GERB.

The opposition lamented the dissolution of the specialized magistrature and claimed this would create chaos in the judiciary and jeopardize the fight against corruption. Justice Minister Nadezhda Yordanova assured them that ongoing cases would be allocated to normal courts, while all magistrates would also be re-appointed to existing branches of the judiciary accordingly.

On Wednesday Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov told his cabinet that Sofia would sanction Russian ambassador to the country Eleonora Mitrofanova for telling Russian TV channel Rossiya 24 that "the Bulgarian people do not support their government's rhetoric and actions vis-a-vis the special operation in Ukraine". Mr Petkov rejected this. "We can't accept a foreign ambassador talking on behalf of the Bulgarian people against its own government," he said. In the meantime

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