Volen Siderov

GERB party, which won the early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria and the United Patriots coalition - National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria, VMRO and Ataka - held a meeting in Sofia, according to BNR.

After the meeting, VMRO leader Krasimir Karakachanov commented that there are no negotiations on the formation of a new cabinet as yet and that such talks are yet to be held.

Leaders and supporters of the United Patriots blockaded Bulgaria's main checkpoint with Turkey, Kapitan Andreevo, at 10am on Tuesday, claiming they were seeking to stop busloads of Bulgarian Turks arriving from Turkey to vote in the weekend's parliamentary elections.

A total of five parties will enter the 44th Parliament, while Rumen Radev is the best liked politician, showed data from the nationally representative survey of the Centre for Analyses and Marketing, presented by director Yuliy Pavlov, reported BGNES.

The sample included 1012 adult citizens and was carried out in the period March 10 - 16.

Former lawmaker Valentin Nikolov has quit the Patriotic Front coalition, rejecting its move to run together with far-right Ataka party in the upcoming early election.

Nikolov has followed the example of Dimitar Bayraktarov, calling the coalition "unprincipled" in an interview with private broadcaster NOVA TV.

The Bulgarian national interest will be the core priority of the newly emerged nationalist coalition even after the presidential election, candidate Krasimir Karakachanov has said.

Nationalist Ataka party's leader Volen Siderov and lawmaker Desislav Chukolov have been sentenced to two years of probation.

Siderov and Chukolov will have their salaries deduced by 25% for two years' time after pleading guilty. They will also have to meet a probation officer twice a week.

Bulgarian MPs rejected on Wednesday a proposal submitted by nationalist opposition Ataka party to renew activities related to the construction of the South Stream natural gas pipeline.

A total of 109 MPs participated in the voting, with 27 of them voting in favour, 17 being against, while 65 lawmakers abstained, private bTV station informs.

As lawmakers are set to vote on the candidacy of Meglena Kuneva to become Bulgaria's next Education Minister, it is not clear how much support she will gain.

Kuneva was endorsed by junior coalition partner Reformist Bloc after Prime Minister Boyko Borisov asked her successor, Todor Tanev, to resign amid controversy that a draft school curriculum sparked in society.

The Bulgarian prosecutor's office charged nationalist Ataka leader Volen Siderov and his fellow party member Desislav Chukolov with hooliganism.

The two MPs are accused of hooliganism for their attack on an alcohol and tobacco store in Sofia in October last year.

Bulgarian Parliament will appoint a second ad hoc committee to consider lifting the immunity of nationalist Ataka party's leader, Volen Siderov, from criminal prosecution.

On Monday, November 30, Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov submitted to Parliament two new requests for immunity lifting over Siderov's violation of public order in two separate cases in 2011 and 2013.