Institute of Statistics

With the deadline to set up a register of diaspora voters about to expire next week, Albania has missed its chance to ensure around 1.2 million Albanians living abroad can vote in the next general election, which is due in April.

Under 7 million people is now the population of Bulgaria. This was made clear by the words of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) management, who today presented the demographic picture in the country up to December 31, 2018. According to the data at that date, the Bulgarians were 7 000 039 people, but the lasting trends show that to date we are certainly below that figure.

Albania's Confederation of Trade Unions, KSSH, is pressuring the government to raise the minimum wage by 17 percent within a year, alongside other requests that would improve the conditions of working people.

KSSH chief Kol Nikollaj told BIRN that they intend to use any democratic means in order to achieve this objective.

The right-wing Democratic Party of Serbia-Dveri coalition passed the five per cent threshold and got into parliament after re-run votes on Wednesday at 15 polling stations.

The votes were held again after the Republic Electoral Commission, RIK, decided to cancel the results from the 15 polling stations at the April 24 parliamentary elections due to complaints of irregularities.

Several thousand supporters of Serbian opposition parties staged a protest on Saturday in Belgrade, claiming that last Sunday's elections were rigged and urging citizens to vote in repeat elections at 15 polling stations scheduled for Wednesday.

On Saturday's protest, several Serbian opposition parties across the political spectrum said that election were rigged and called citizens to vote freely on repeated elections on 15 polling stations scheduled for Wednesday, which can decide whether some parties will enter the parliament or not.