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Articles by Polina Paunova
Bulgarian National Customs Agency shake-up recalls scheme that cost budget tens of millions
Let's go back to February 2021. Rumen Radev, now prime minister, is president at the time, while the caretaker government appointed by him is organizing upcoming snap parliamentary elections. During this period, it emerges that Bulgaria must pay 55 million euro into the European Union budget.
EC: Bulgaria still lacks corruption prosecutions as public trust in justice remains low
Bulgaria fails to show results in the fight against corruption, while the judiciary still contains levers that can be used to influence judges and prosecutors. Furthermore, public and business confidence in the independence of the judiciary remains among the lowest in the European Union. These are some of the conclusions of the European Commission's annual Rule of Law Report for the community.
PB and DB push to extend deadline for euro conversion of company capital
The "breakdown" of the Commercial Register, which triggered justified criticism from the business and legal communities, prompted members of parliament from Progressive Bulgaria to submit a proposal to increase the deadline for updating company documents into euro.
GDCOC investigates whether Peevski smuggled bags of cash abroad
The General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) is investigating reports of influence peddling and the transport of undeclared funds by Delyan Peevski, leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and a politician sanctioned for corruption under the Global Magnitsky Act. The information comes from an internal GDCOC report obtained by Capital.
Selection of a European Prosecutor: From "The Euro's" sofa to the Borissov Cabinet's official letter
If anything has become indisputable about Bulgaria's judicial system in recent years, it is that an informal, almost mafia-linked power center operated around the former "Eight Dwarfs" restaurant, led by former investigator and lobbyist Petyo Petrov (known as "The Euro"), who mysteriously disappeared from Bulgaria.
Will the BSP suffer the same fate as the UDF: Becoming a "Brooch" Party for Radev?
For seven years, GERB and the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) have existed as a coalition, at least on paper. Beyond the format in which Boyko Borisov adorned his party with the UDF brand like a brooch, there is practically no coalition. Decisions are made by the leadership of GERB, and the SDS - represented by its chairman and essentially its sole voter- accepts them submissively in exchange for a seat in parliament.
What We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria risk and gain from their split
"Who will blink first." This is how MPs from WCC-DB in the previous parliament described the negotiations over candidate list placement between the leaders of the two factions (primarily Asen Vassilev and Ivaylo Mirchev) for the latest elections. The talks regarding a joint run began from completely different positions. Vassilev insisted on maintaining the quota distribution for winnable seats, as established when the two formations first allied three years ago.
Three days after the elections, Sarafov refuses to remain acting Prosecutor General
Anyone who believed that the judicial system is not subject to political influence has received yet another proof to the contrary. Three days after the elections on April 19, and one day after Ivan Demerdzhiev, one of the frontmen of Progressive Bulgaria, called for actions against the illegitimately acting Prosecutor General - actions that even exceed what is legally permissible - Borislav Sarafov announced that he had withdrawn his consent to perform this function.
Another New Beginning for Maria Filipova
The Zhelyazkov cabinet, elected with a GERB mandate but having lost its initial majority in parliament after the withdrawal of Ahmed Dogan's group, is formally considered a minority government. It exists thanks to the political symbiosis between Boyko Borisov's GERB and Delyan Peevski's MRF-New Beginning, which provides the necessary votes for all government decisions. The expectation that this joint power will be consolidated and made official raises the question of a possible early election.
Peevski prepares to be second political force
"If elections were held now, GERB would be the leading political force, followed by MRF - New Beginning." This announcement by Gallup International Balkan, based on the results of a recent survey, shook up the political media landscape at the beginning of last week. Two days later, GERB leader Boyko Borissov announced to journalists that he would become prime minister again when he wanted to, without being questioned on the matter.
'I'll Kill You!': COVID Anti-Vaxxer Attacks Doctor In Bulgaria
SOFIA -- Ivaylo Ivanov was thumbing through a folder of documents at his spartan doctor's office in Novo Selo, a sleepy village in the northwest corner of Bulgaria, when he got an unexpected visit on January 17. With his camera on, one of the country's most notorious anti-vaxxers, Ventsislav Angelov, stormed in, followed by a woman whose husband -- with a history of heart issues -- had died after apparently being vaccinated against COVID-19 by Ivanov.
It Denies COVID And Wants Out Of NATO And The EU. Now Bulgaria's Pro-Kremlin, Far-Right Revival Party Is In Parliament.
Bulgaria has been the country hardest hit by COVID-19 in the EU, but the Vazrazhdane party, or Revival, believes it's all a lie. The far-right party also wants Bulgaria out of NATO and the EU and is sympathetic to the Kremlin, which is accused of backing such parties in former Soviet satellite states and elsewhere in Europe.
As Bulgaria Gets Set To Vote For President, Parliament, New Allegations Emerge Of Vote Rigging And Fraud
With Bulgarians set to go to the polls on November 14, police have confirmed they have launched probes into possible voter fraud after an RFE/RL investigation into the conduct of the country's last elections in July.
Bulgaria's Powerful 'Potbelly' Vanishes From Political Scene Ahead Of Elections
SOFIA -- A controversial oligarch and media mogul in Bulgaria's parliament has disappeared from the forefront of the country's political scene ahead of general elections on April 4. Delyan Peevski -- known in Bulgaria by the nickname "Shishi" or "Potbelly" -- has been removed from the list of party candidates from his Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which is mostly made up of ethnic Turks.
Laimėti rinkimus padeda apgaulingos apklausos? Bulgarijos valdžia į pergalę klibinkščiuoja melu
Polina Paunova, Andy Heil, „Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty“, LRT.lt2020.12.17 21:02 Ar valdančiosios koalicijos populiarumas krinta su trenksmu? Greičiausiai ne, jei tai vyksta Bulgarijos politiniame gyvenime. Šis galvosūkis gali neduoti ramybės milijonams bulgarų ypač šiuo metu, kai artėja kovo mėnesį įvyksiantis svarbiausias nuo 2017 m. šalį valdančios premjero Boiko Borisovo dviejų partijų koalicijos išbandymas rinkimais.
Phantom Pollster Has A Way Of Popping Up, Propping Up Bulgaria's Ruling Coalition
If a ruling coalition's popularity falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Maybe not, if that forest lies on the Bulgarian political landscape. It's a conundrum that might be on the minds of millions of Bulgarians ahead of a key electoral test in March for Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's governing bipartite coalition, which has been in power since 2017.
Bulgarian Survivor Of Suspected Russian Poison Attack Decries Suspended Probe
SOFIA -- Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev fell into a coma in Sofia in April 2015 after someone smeared the door handles of his car with a substance similar to Novichok -- the nerve agent that hospitalized former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.
The Week's Best: RFE/RL Stories You May Have Missed
Print Options: Images Multimedia Embedded Content Comments Photo: Reuters We know that rferl.org isn't the only website you read, and it's possible that you may have missed some of our most interesting journalism from the past week. To make sure you're up-to-date, here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
Who Killed Ultron, The Bulgarian Black Vulture? Original
When conservationists trying to reintroduce black vultures to Bulgaria saw Ultron leave his artificial nest on Kotlenska Mountain for the first time on August 15, they didn't know if he'd leapt or fallen. So they breathed a sigh of relief when, after some tumbles as he got the hang of his wings, the 3-month-old raptor returned to feed at Kotlenska five days later, seemingly flying confidently.
'Golden Century': Towering At The Heart Of Bulgaria's Real-Estate Scandal
SOFIA -- It's been billed by its Bulgarian developer as the "beginning of a modern golden age" -- an "iconic sign" that will take Bulgaria "into the future as a truly dignified European country." But now, with the Golden Century skyscraper caught up in a real-estate scandal that involves members of the ruling GERB party, it is unclear whether Arteks Engineering will be able to finish the 34-story luxury tower in Sofia.
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