Valeri Simeonov

Members of the Bulgarian government and of the main opposition Socialist Party have joined forces to oppose the government's decision to pass the so-called Istanbul Convention on gender-based violence to parliament for ratification.

Bulgaria's Vice-President Iliyana Yotova on Wednesday called for increase of Chinese investments and tourists in Bulgaria, and greater presence of strategic partners from China in key infrastructure projects and transport corridors in her country.

Yotova made the remarks while addressing here a reception marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China.

The traditional annual meeting of the ambassadors to Bulgaria is taking place in Sofia as of today until 21 July, reported BGNES.

The conference this year is focusing on the tasks facing the diplomatic service, connected with the upcoming Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2018.

Tomorrow, 4 May, at 9:00, the candidate for Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov, nominated by the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria parliamentary group, will hand over to President Rumen Radev a document for a successfully completed mandate for government formation, party's press office announced, quoted by Focus News Agency.

Bulgarian GERB leader Boyko Borissov announced his new cabinet consisting of 18 ministers and four deputy prime ministers on Wednesday.

Borissov is taking the Prime Minister's post for the third time. His deputies will be divided equally among the two formations in the coalition - his centre-right GERB party and the nationalist "United Patriots", which unites three parties.

The negotiating process on drafting a joint strategic programme of the future coalition government has been completed, United Patriots co-leader Valeri Simeonov told a joint news briefing in Parliament with GERB leader Boyko Borisov on Thursday.

The governance programme of GERB and the United Patriots covers the period until 2021, Simeonov said.

At the Bulgarian National Assembly, the talks between the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) and coalition United Patriots - NFSB, VMRO and Ataka are continuing, according to  FOCUS News Agency.

The negotiation teams of Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) and United Patriots - NFSB, Ataka, and VMRO are holding a meeting at the National Assembly building in relation to forming a government, according to Focus News.

The blockade of the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint with Turkey has been lifted, but the organizers from the United Patriots coalition voiced readiness to again stop traffic before the snap parliamentary elections on 26 March, according to BNR.

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.