Slavi Trifonov

The Bulgarian parliament reversed its decision on one of the amendments to the Electoral Code it had adopted last week, which stipulated that referendums and elections should not be held simultaneously.

The leader of parties that form Bulgaria's government have backtracked on a set of amendments introduced to electoral legislation in the past days.

Their decision has been announced after a meeting with Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in Parliament, hours before the beginning of a final vote on the Electoral Code.

Slavi Trifonov, a popular TV host, has called on President Rosen Plevneliev to veto the amendments to the country's Electoral Code.

Changes voted earlier this week made it possible to hold a referendum separately from an election scheduled for the same year. Prior to that, any referendum had to be held simultaneously with a vote if these were to take place in the same year.

A referendum featuring six questions on the political system will be held in Bulgaria in the summer.

This became clear after the parliament adopted amendments to the Electoral Code on Thursday, which revoked a previous provision that had stipulated that if a referendum and elections are scheduled to take place within the same year, these should be held simultaneously.

One of the most popular TV shows in Bulgaria, Slavi's Show (named after its host Slavi Trifonov), will submit a petition with more than 400 000 signatures on the holding of a six-point referendum.

The petition is expected to be tabled to parliament on Monday.

Twelve-year-old Bulgarian singer, Gabriela Yordanova, who will be representing Bulgaria at this year's edition of the Junior Eurovision after winning the national selection in September, officially presented her song on Sunday.

The song is entitled "Cvetat na Nadejdata" ("The Colour of Hope") and the lyrics were co-written by Gabriela and poet Ivaylo Valchev.

Bulgaria's top ranking male tennis player Grigor Dimitrov is the country's most popular celebrity for a second consecutive year according to the Bulgarian edition of Forbes magazine.

Forbes Bulgaria announced its list of the country's 70 most popular celebrities for a third consecutive year on Thursday.

Bulgarian fruit and vegetable producers are increasingly interested in expanding cooperation with hypermarkets after the adoption of amendments to the Competition Protection Act, according to Slavi Trifonov, Chair of the National Union of Gardeners.

Only 15% of the goods sold at hypermarkets in Bulgaria are domestically produced, according to the Bulgarian National Radio.

Forbes Bulgaria has named top tennis player Grigor Dimitrov the biggest celebrity in Bulgaria, Tuesday.

Forbes has announced the 70 most outstanding personalities in the country taking into account how successful they are in their field, organizers explained. Media popularity and social networks presence are also of great importance, Dnevnik.bg notes.

Only 10% of the fruit and vegetables consumed in Bulgaria are locally produced, with the remainder being imported, according to Slavi Trifonov, Chair of the National Union of Gardeners.