Bulgarian Press Review December 17, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, December 17 (BTA)

THE HOME SCENE

All papers quote President Georgi Purvanov as saying that he suspected that the proposal for a referendum on the newscasts in Turkish aired on Bulgarian National Television was intended as a big trap for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

According to the top story in "Ataka", Council for Electronic Media members Maya Vaptsarova and Margarita Pesheva noted at a meeting with the Ataka Parliamentary Group that "the national televisions in Europe do not broadcast Turkish-language news on their first channels." The paper quotes Ataka leader Volen Siderov as saying that the holding of the referendum is a victory for Bulgarian democracy.

In "24 Chassa", Valeri Naydenov dismisses the idea of a referendum on the newscasts in Turkish as "brazen mockery of the people." He argues that the State was bound to organize a referendum on the Constitution, on the electoral system, on the accession to the EU and NATO, on the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project. "Any person of average intelligence must realize that Bulgarian news in English unites rather than divides the nation," he noted. "Quite a few people in this country have a very poor command of Bulgarian. What's wrong with them being able to learn what's going on from our national television for 15 minutes daily? This is the only thing that makes them part of our national affairs," the author reasons. "I believe that this country is embarking on a very bad road," Kolyo Kolev of the Mediana polling agency commented to "Standart News." "The idea is movingly moronic, which is probably why it enjoys broad parliamentary support," Ivo Siromahov comments in "24 Chassa."

"The crux of the matter is elsewhere: in the deliberate, pernicious and even explosive scenario for the political resuscitation of the communicating vessels MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedoms] and Ataka," Lyuboslava Rousseva writes in "Dnevnik" under the heading "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with a Time Bomb".

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Expatriate Bulgarians resident outside the EU may be unable to vote in the next parliamentary elections in 2012. This is one of the ideas about a revision of electoral legislation contemplated in GERB, "Troud" learnt. "My personal opinion is that the right to vote for national parliament should be exercised within the EU," National Assembly Legal Affairs Committee Chair Iskra Fidossova reportedly said. Other proposals included an increase of the electoral threshold from 4 to 6 per cent.

According to "Dnevnik," Fidossova suggested that a unit of three to seven senior magistrates should be set up to monitor the entire electoral process, from the scheduling of Election Day to the final declaration of the results and the delivery of the stationery. The idea will be presented on Saturday at a discussion of revisions of the electoral laws, to which GERB has invited the rest of the parliamentary parties, the non-governmental sector and experts.

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"Jail for Using an Absent Colleague's Voting Card:" under this identical headline, "Douma" and "Novinar" report that 84 MPs voted on first reading an amendment to the Penal Code, moved by Order, Lawfulness, Justice leader Yane Yanev, according to which MPs and municipal councillors who use another's voting card will be imprisoned for three years and, for a repeat offence, for up to six years. Later on, GERB said they will not second the provision on second reading. They nevertheless voted in favour on first reading because they "accept the philosophy of the bill on more severe penal sanctions for a number of offences." Kidnapping will be punished by life imprisonment, 92 MPs resolved by amending the Penal Code.

According to an analysis of the Institute of Modern Politics, quoted in "Troud", the incumbent National Assembly suffers from a deficiency of competence, from making major changes without discussion, as well as from seeing changes of opinion within hours. Its positive side is "more transparency."

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The medicines reimbursed by the National Health Insurance Fund may be reduced by 15 per cent, according to amendments to Health Ministry Ordinance No. 34, "Telegraf" reports. The revisions were initiated by the commission which determines which medicines should be reimbursed and have not been considered by the Health Ministry. The reason is a shortfall of 7 million leva.

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

"Standart News" reports that a wanted gangster known as "Ugly Sasho" has been arrested as aidor to the Crocodiles Gang. Sasho's Opel Vectra with a police blue rooftop light was used to rob Turkish national Mustafa Gumus on Trakia Motroway a couple of days ago. All papers report the arrest of a border policeman, who recorded a simulated exit from the country and this provided an alibi to Evgeni "Geyzo" Milev, wanted on suspicion of serious crimes.

"The European Commission is asking about the murders of Ivan 'the Doctor' Todorov, Yambol-based lawyer Nadezhda Georgieva, senior prosecutor Nikolai Kolev, businessman Emil Kyulev, the attempted murder of Manol Velev, the assault on journalist Ognyan Stefanov. It is also asking about the progress of the trials of Mario Nikolov, Krassimir and Nikolay Marinov (the 'Margin' Brothers), Sofia prosecutors Peter Chalumov and Slavcho Kurzhev," Plamen Stoilov, who heads a commission of the Supreme Judicial Council checking the high-profile investigations and criminal cases, says in a "24 Chassa" interview.

"Catch the drug traffickers' money, not just the cocaine," Rodolfo Peikov, an expert at the International Institute for Security and Cooperation, who worked for the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in various posts around the world, told "Troud" in an interview. "Infiltrate agents in the criminal world," he adds.

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"24 Chassa" and "Zemya" note that as from January 1, 2010 unpaid fines for traffic violatons will become part of tax files and such motorists will not be issued a certificate that they do not incur public liabilities. Such a document is required by banks from loan applicants. As from next year, the State Receivables Collection Agency will merge with the National Revenue Agency (NRA), which will collect overdue fines. The NRA issues an average 1,000,000 certificates on tax liabilities annually, "24 Chassa" specifies.

GERB is contemplating a measure to improve compliance with written statements and tickets: Traffic Police will give offending drivers an up to 50 per cent discount on the fine imposed for a traffic violation if the amount is paid within a week. "Monitor" reports that GERB MPs are planning to introduce this revision in the Road Traffic Act before the amendments come up for a second reading.

According to an amendment to the law, drafted by GERB MP Teodora Georgieva, heavy duty tricks will be barred from the road for several hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "GERB has the will to solve the problem with the killer trucks on the road," Georgieva says in a "24 Chassa" interview. She will table the motion after a broad public discussion with all parties concerned.

ECONOMY

Bulgarians have the lowest purchasing power in the EU, according to 2008 data of Eurostat, quoted by "Dnevnik". Purchasing power is calculated for the entire Union, the average base being 100 per cent, showing the possibility to buy the same quantity of goods and services in the various countries. For Bulgaria, the value is 41 per cent of the EU average.

"The moratorium on construction of power plants running on renewable energy sources will cost this country the loss of 1,000 million euro in foreign direct investments over the next five years," writes "Klassa", quoting Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association President Nikola Gazdov. Bulgaria will also lose another 300-400 million euro from the non-manufacture of additional goods and services related to the projects, Gazdov warned. In his opinion, the announcement of the intention to freeze the construction of recently launched or new water and solar parks alone induced the banks to cease financing projects under implementation. The idea was unveiled last week by Environment and Water Minister Nona Karadjova and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov. Karadjova argued that by suspending the projects the country will not risk another infringement procedure over the environment. In this way, the chaotic construction of RES capacities will be halted as well, the Government argued.

Contrary to sinister projections, the coastal resorts listed on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange-Sofia did not experience a slump in sales and a complete withdrawal of tourists, "Pari" found. The increased profit of the largest tourist industry companies, however, was generated by the sale of assets, the daily notes.

"The crisis does not stop Chinese companies from investing in Bulgaria," China's Ambassador in Sofia Zhang Wanxue told "Monitor." He notes that Beijing is actively working for coping with climate problems.

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At least 3 million SIM cards will go silent on New Year, "Troud" found after a check with the mobile phone opeators. All customers with prepaid GSM numbers have until December 31, 2009 to register their SIM cards, submitting their name and Standard Public Registry Personal Number. According to the daily, the deadline will not be met and many telephones will be suspended. Now one in two SIM cards is prepaid. Some 11 million GSM numbers have been sold by mobile operators, of which over 5.5 million have unidentified holders, the paper found. A little under 1.5 million prepaid users have reported their personal data to the mobile operators. Not more than 100,000 are expected to do so in the seven working days remaining until the end of the year.

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"Troud" has interviewed Josip Broz, the grandson of Yugoslav leader Tito, who is member of the newly formed Communist Party there. The item appears under the heading "Tito Would Have Scrapped the Yugodebts by a Phone Call." Broz says that in his political activity he relies above all on the ideas of brotherhood and unity.

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"We are planning a chess city in Sofia, too," World Chess Federation (FIDE) President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov says in an interview for "Standart News."

Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:

• http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
• http://www.novinite.com/index.php
• http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – December 17, 2009


• Twenty-five individuals were arrested last night in a police action in Sofia, Montana, Veliko Turnovo, Vratsa and elsewhere. They are suspected of being involved in a series of front-page kidnappings over the past few years.
Last night's action, codenamed "Impudent", corralled in individuals well-known to the police, including some who have served sentences and have been set free.
The Interior Ministry has unquestionable evidence, such as DNA samples and evidence of witnesses, against the group of kidnappers, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told journalists after attending the Policeman of the Year award ceremony.

• Volen Siderov and Yane Yanev, one-time political bedfellows, got entangled in a bitter public slanging match on a staircase in Bulgaria's National Assembly on December 17 2009.
Siderov, leader of ultra-nationalist Ataka party, called Yanev "a puppet" and a man "dependent on his homosexuality". Yanev, leader of the centre-right Order, Law and Justice (OLJ) party, shot back that Siderov was suffering from "political importence" and called Ataka as a xenophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-democratic party.
The row happened after OLJ MPs met in Parliament with political officers at the embassies of European Union states, Norway, Israel and the US. According to OLJ, Ataka MPs tried to invade the meeting.