Bulgarian Orthodox Church council selects Danaiil of Vidin for Patriarch
On 30 June, after two rounds of voting, the special council of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) elected its new head following Father Neofit's demise earlier this year. This is 52-year old Bishop Danaiil of the Vidin Eparchy, who was approved with 69 votes compared to the Vratsa Eparchy head Grigory's 66.
While Grigory was seen as the most pro-Western candidate, and close to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Danaiil has been the least prominent of the three nominations and has expressed sentiments that echo Moscow's narrative since its invasion of Ukraine. In the past, he has emerged as a fierce opponent of the decision of Ecumenical Patriarch to declare the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which the Moscow Patriarchate does not recognize, as autonomous. In 2019, he publicly attacked the Ecumenical Patriarch and supported the position of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Synod then distanced itself from his actions.
Danaiil studied English philology before becoming a monk and has served as the vicar to the Bishop of the USA, Canada and Australia between 2010-2018, when he was elected Bishop of Vidin.
GERB proposes Rosen Zhelyazkov for PM with first mandate
On Monday, GERB proposed former president of the National Assembly Rosen Zhelyazkov as the candidate for PM with the first exploratory mandate to form a cabinet. His proposed cabinet is expected to be voted on during the regular plenary of the Parliament on Wednesday.
For the time being, GERB can only firmly rely on MRF support, as WCC-DB, Vazrazhdane, BSP and TISP refused to support a cabinet with the first mandate. The position of the new, allegedly anti-systemic Velichie party remains unclear, but it is possible that they can facilitate the approval of a cabinet (either by leaving the plenary to lower the quorum or by voting in favor).
Party head Boyko Borissov presented the proposed cabinet as an attempt to form a government of the minority. He reiterated that the only possible cabinet in this parliament can happen with this mandate. However, he did not exclude the possibility that the cabinet passes "with some trick" (referring to possible support by Velichie), but pledged that, if this is the case, the cabinet wouldn't last long and would only serve to push forward key governing priorities like the adoption of the new state budget and laws linked to EU funds and the eurozone.
Natural gas price for July falls by 2.43%
The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (KEVR) approved the natural gas price for July at BGN 58.10/MWh. This is 2.43% lower than the price in June, the regulator said. It was formed after an analysis of updated data submitted today by Bulgargaz.
The price mix includes the entire contracted amount of natural gas supplied from Azerbaijan, which covers 89.57% of consumption for the month, while the remaining required amount, whose price is higher, will be drawn from the storage in Chiren. The regulator notes that the price in Bulgaria will thus be significantly lower than the value of the TTF price index, which has increased significantly in June.
Bulgarian Orthodox Church council selects Danaiil of Vidin for Patriarch
On 30 June, after two rounds of voting, the special council of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) elected its new head following Father Neofit's demise earlier this year. This is 52-year old Bishop Danaiil of the Vidin Eparchy, who was approved with 69 votes compared to the Vratsa Eparchy head Grigory's 66.
