Bulgarian Press Review, July 10, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, July 10 (BTA)

HOME SCENE
Bulgaria's new government will be ready by July 27, today's dailies report referring to GERB leader and future prime minister Boiko Borissov. The incoming cabinet and the challenges it faces are in the highlights in the press. There is no logic in reaching outside GERB to recruit ministers, political scientist Tatyana Bouroudjieva says in "Telegraf." The Blue Coalition is too weak to claim any ministerial portfolio. Had the citizens wanted it to head at least one ministry, they would have cast more votes for it, Bouroudjieva observes.

"Having a Borissov-Kostov-Yanev cabinet is dangerous," sociologist Peter-Emil Mitev says in "Troud." A political partnership requires that the new prime minister be very careful. The support of Ivan Kostov, leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria and Co-chairman of the Blue Coalition, will not be unconditional. Yani Yanev, leader of Order, Lawfulness, Justice, is unpredictable, especially when the question is about his favourite subject of fighting corruption.

"24 Chassa" carries an analysis by Alexander Bozhkov, deputy prime minister in Kostov's cabinet, which says that Borissov and the parliamentary majority will have to cope with 16 serious challenges, including a new anticrisis programme, revision of the national budget, curbing corruption and urgently regaining Europe's confidence. In Bozhkov view, one of the most important reforms to be carried out is in the area of public finance - that is, every public financed department should get money not per capita but on the basis of well-grounded specific projects.

Former finance minister Mouravei Radev offers advice to the new government in and interview for "24 Chassa." Instead of an anticrisis, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) drew up an election campaign budget envisaging lavishly absurd expenditures, Radev notes. "Before going ahead, the government must step on a sound basis, exploring the actual situation of the national budget," he says. "I absolutely support Simeon Dyankov's idea about a financial audit of this country but it should be performed together with the International Monetary Fund to avoid possible manipulations on the part of BSP and guarantee publicly objective results," Radev says. [Dyankov, chief economist for Finance and Private Sector in the World Bank group, will probably be Bulgaria's new finance minister.]

* * *

The effect of the election results on the coalition partners in the outgoing government is also in the focus of the press. In an open letter to the National Council of the party, a group of socialists insist on the immediate resignation of the entire BSP leadership and the holding of an extraordinary congress by November, "24 Chassa" reports. Krassimir Premyanov, leader of the Open Forum movement in the BSP, calls for a congress at which incumbent BSP leader should ask for a vote of confidence. President Georgi Purvanov hinted at such a move recalling his experience as party leader after the BSP lost the general elections in 2001, the daily writes. BSP hardliners from Sofia have also sent an open letter to the BSP headquarters
demanding a congress in the autumn; however, they advise Stanishev not to succumb to any calls for his resignation but to expel half of the members of the Executive Bureau along with
Kiril Dobrev, member of the Supreme Council of the BSP. "The BSP made a mistake allowing [Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed] Dogan to feudalize the ministries," Roumen Ovcharov of the BSP leadership says in "Sega." He states he will not demand Stanishev's resignation. The election campaign steering committee will analyze the results and will present the analysis to the Executive Bureau and the National Council of the party, Ovcharov says. "It is more important what to do with the party, what conclusions about the condition of the BSP we can make," he notes.

BSP Supreme Council member Mladen Chervenyakov is more extreme. "The whole party leadership must go," he states in an interview for "Troud." "All tactical mistakes we have made, from the revision of the electoral law to the introduction of majoritarian elements in the election system, using pressure to hinder the registration of the Blue Coalition and the negative ads, are the consequence of a policy we have been following as a party for a decade - a policy of conformism and doing nothing," Chervenyakov says.

A trench-warfare begins in the socialist party, political scientist Tatyana Bouroudjieva says in the Observer supplement of "Sega." In her words, at this moment any attempt to "demand
Stanishev's head" would look like interpersonal fighting and excessive ambition for power. "The fact that Stanishev is unwilling to resign is not doing him a favour. That is why the
question is rather about a trench-warfare the winning of which depends on the opponents' tactical skills and patience," Bouroudjieva says.

* * *
"Douma" gives front-page prominence to the news about resignations in the National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS). Antonia Purvanova MEP has tendered her resignation as member of the Political Council of the party calling for an extraordinary congress. All members of the NMSS leadership are going to resign, Ognyan Gerdjikov of the Political Council of the party is quoted as saying.

* * *
The dailies pay attention to the last activities of the outgoing cabinet. At the last moment the incumbents are handing out property, money and positions, "Troud" writes.

"24 Chassa" reports that despite Boiko Borissov's warning, on Thursday the outgoing government approved nine new diplomats. Their candidatures were proposed in June but the routine process is rather long and has now been completed, Deputy Foreign Minister Lyubomir Kyuchoukov is quoted as saying.

"BTA is no longer an installation relevant to national security, "Klassa' writes informing about another decision made by the outgoing government. The Council of Ministers Thursday issued a decree designating the strategic installations and activities relevant to national security and BTA was dropped from the list of installations and activities in the
Telecommunications and Information sector.

BTA wants that its security protection be provided by the Interior Ministry, "24 Chassa" says. The management of the news agency raises the question of its being taken out of the list of strategic installations relevant to national security in a media statement released on Thursday. "This sets an unclearly motivated precedent in the history of BTA. "It is common knowledge that the Agency is of strategic importance as a national information and reference institution," the statement says. The BTA management notes that for the first time in its history BTA is left without the security protection that is mandatory for an installation of such importance and insists on revoking the decision.

* * *
Deputy Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandukova, who will probably be the new Education and Science Minister, says in "Standart News" that teachers' salaries will be "unfreezed". "I am motivated to work in the cabinet and in Parliament, she says. Fandukova promises that the government will not economize on education because "education is an investment."

* * *
Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Filipov, arrested on Monday on charges of trading in influence and organizing vote-buying, got large amounts of money from mayors
in Northwestern and Northeastern Bulgaria to arrange their receiving funding for the repair of churches and schools and the cleaning of river beds, "Troud" reports in its leading story. On Thursday Filipov was released on 10,000 leva bail because of his health problems - he suffers from discopathy and has asthmatic fits.

ECONOMY

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects that Bulgaria's economy will contract by 7 per cent, "Klassa" writes. According to the IMFТ’s latest forecast the economic activity in
Bulgaria will shrink by as much as 7 per cent in 2009 and by 2.5 per cent in 2010. The most pessimistic forecast until now was a decline by 3.5 per cent, the daily recalls.

* * *
"24 Chassa" reports that banks in Bulgaria are under investigation on suspicion of having formed a cartel. Seven employees of the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC)
raided the office of the Association of Banks in Bulgaria for a search. They seized documents of the last three years and computer files. The operation was carried out on the basis of a
ruling of the Sofia Administrative Court for the purpose to analyze the terms and conditions for loans and deposits offered by banks. The analysis showed that the offers are quite similar,
which gave the CPC reason to suspect illegitimate agreements between the banks.

* * *
"24 Chassa” writes on its front page that Isa Engineering, the company which build a residence for Ahmed Dogan in Sofia's borough Boyana, in the last three years has been awarded public procurement contracts for 4 million leva by the Emergency Situations Ministry. In the last days before land swaps were forbidden, the company exchanged 1 ha of land in the town of Devin. Isa erected the Orpheus Spa Hotel, which is also considered to be one of Dogan's assets. The company Enemona has concluded a public procurement contract for over 8 million leva with the Defence Ministry.

BULGARIA - EU
Bulgaria is placed first in the OLAF's ranking of misusers of EU funds, "Sega" announces on it front page. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has published its annual report which shows that at the end of 2008 the office was working on 42 active fraud cases in Bulgaria, while in much bigger countries the cases are 21 or 22. Second-placed is Italy, with 41 fraud cases.





Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:

• http://www.thebulgarianpost.com/
• http://www.bta.bg/site/bg/index.shtml
• http://www.novinite.com/index.php
• http://www.focus-fen.net/



Most discussed topics of the day – July 10, 2009


• GERB leader Boiko Borissov has sent a letter to Economy and Energy Minister Peter Dimitrov requesting temporary suspension of negotiations for participation in large international investment projects, the information service of GERB said Friday. The projects in question include Belene n-plant, the South Stream gas pipeline, the development of a thermal power plant in Skopje. The negotiations for the conclusion of a new contract for Russian gas supply are also listed in the letter.

• Miglena Kuneva will remain EU commissioner for Consumer Protection. Speaking at a press conference, she said: “The decision is beyond any ambitions and personal agenda,”

• The New Time Chairman Emil Koshlukov and the party’s deputy chairpersons Miroslav Sevlievski, Krasen Kralev and Yuliana Doncheva have submitted their resignations to the party’s executive bureau.