Dobrev

Bulgarians are mourning the loss of Dobre Dobrev, known as Dyado Dobri [grandpa Dobri] or the "Saint from Bailovo", who passed away on Tuesday at 103 years of age.

An iconic figure, well-known and loved by several generations of Sofians, he also was the largest single benefactor to the city's St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and a symbol of selflessness and hope. 

Today the parliament will vote on the resignation of GERB MP Delyan Dobrev. Yesterday, he deposited it in Parliament's office.

Yesterday, the GERB parliamentary group met to discuss its conduct in the plenary for today's vote.

There was no single decision of the GERB deputies. Delyan Dobrev has asked his colleagues to comply with his decision to leave parliament. 

The Parliament has approved the resignation of its member Kiril Dobrev, Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), FOCUS News Agency reported.

The resignation was approved with 182 votes in favour, 2 against and 2 abstentions.

Tomorrow, we will have the first draft version of the coalition agreement, we will continue with negotiations. This is what Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) MP Delyan Dobrev told journalists at the National Assembly after the party's meeting with United Patriots on forming a government, FOCUS News Agency reported.

The negotiations between GERB and the United Patriots for composing a government continue, according to BNR.

Yesterday the two political formations agreed upon the disputed subject of increasing the minimal retirement pension, which is at the moment BGN 161.

Three former GERB ministers have calculated that, if the programme of BSP for governing the country is implemented, budget expenses will increase by over BGN 4 B within a year alone.

If large energy projects like South Stream and the Belene NPP are reanimated as well, this will cost the state at least BGN 45 B.

Bulgaria's Stock Exchange - Sofia reported a turnover of BGN 416,003,870 for 2016, or BGN 5,224,827 more than in 2015.

Deals on the regulated market were 58,442 in 2016.

Bulgaria's Military Prosecutor's Office said on Tuesday that it has charged an unnamed number of defence ministry employees with deliberate dereliction of duty which cost the state over two million leva (around a million euros).

Former Energy Minister Delyan Dobrev has become the third minister to be indicted over the abandoned Belene nuclear power plant (NPP) project.

Lawmakers on Thursday voted to free Delyan Dobrev, a former economy and energy minister, from the Energy Committee with Parliament.

Dobrev, who served as a minister in 2012-2013 (until Boyko Borisov's first government stepped down), currently chairs the committee.