GERB party

Bulgaria's GERB party, tipped to win the most votes in next month's election, has said it plans to allow local governments to collect personal income tax of up to 2% if it comes to power.

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If elections were held today, the GERB party will not have a full majority, shows a poll of the Afis agency, owned by the Bulgarian Socialist Party member Yurii Aslanov.

According to the survey, done among 1200 adult Bulgarian citizens between August 16 and 21, even if GERB formed a coalition with the rightist Reformist Bloc, they will not have the necessary 121 seats in parliament. 

Austrian daily Der Standard has published an article arguing that Boyko Borisov, former Bulgarian Prime Minister and current leader of the GERB party, is organizing a comeback.

The publication starts with comments on Bulgaria's caretaker government, stressing that it is conspicuous by its numerous layoffs and surprising resignations.

Caretaker Interior Minister Yordan Bakalov on Monday vowed “no mercy’’ for vote buying at the upcoming elections and ruled out a repeat of Kostinbrod fake ballots scandal.

Boyko Borisov, leader of center-right party GERB and former Prime Minister, has argued that Bulgaria’s next government should have at least 10 Muslim Deputy Ministers.

Boiko Borisov has been granted nearly BGN 200,000 in damages in a libel lawsuit filed against the head of nationalist Ataka party Volen Siderov.

The verdict issued by Sofia City Court can be appealed before Sofia Court of Appeal, dnevnik.bg reported on Wednesday. The sum includes court expenses.

Krasimira Medarova, announced by President Rosen Plevneliev as a minister in charge of elections in the caretaker government, has decided not to stand down.

Medarova, who was to oversee the preparation of the October 5 snap poll, announced her decision in an open letter to the media, just two days after President Plevneliev issued a decree to appoint her.

Leaders of parties that forged the right-wing Reformist Bloc last year have announced they are to decide on a single Chair next month.

Though there are no official candidates, the bloc's former Spokesperson, Radan Kanev, is likely to get the office, the website Dnevnik.bg reports.

Tsvetan Tsvetanov will head center-right opposition GERB party election headquarters, the former Bulgarian Interior Minister announced, Saturday.

His deputies will be Rumyana Bachvarova and Tsvetomir Paunov. Tsvetanov's team will also include Georgi Georgiev and Simeon Velkov, BGNES reports.

Politicians remained at loggerheads over amendments to the state budget at consultations which they attended at Bulgaria's Presidency on Thursday.

Their meeting was called by President Rosen Plevneliev after GERB party announced it would withdraw his support from amendments to the 2014 budget and additional allocations to the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK).