Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev

The are mafia untouchable in Bulgarian and the government turn a blind eye to it, this was expected when Boyko Borisov took over the reins of power. Promises of quelling corruption and organised crime will always be made in manifestoes for elections but actually honouring this is another thing. Too scared to act I feel is the case here as action may well lead to pay backs from the underground and that could be assassinations! Bulgaria's President has harshly criticized the popular new center-right government for its failure to impose measures to combat crime, saying the mafia bosses in the country remain untouchable. Talking ... Read Full Story

The are mafia untouchable in Bulgarian and the government turn a blind eye to it, this was expected when Boyko Borisov took over the reins of power. Promises of quelling corruption and organised crime will always be made in manifestoes for elections but actually honouring this is another thing. Too scared to act I feel is the case here as action may well lead to pay backs from the underground and that could be assassinations! Bulgaria's President has harshly criticized the popular new center-right government for its failure to impose measures to combat crime, saying the mafia bosses in the country remain untouchable. Talking ... Read Full Story

Bulgaria's centre-right opposition party GERB claimed victory in the general election Sunday, as exit polls showed a stinging defeat for Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and his Socialist party. Speaking after exit polls showed GERB winning 39.7-41.8 percent of the vote and as many as 119 seats in the 240-seat parliament, Borisov told bTV television he had dealt a "smashing, annihilating" defeat to the Socialists, who have ruled for the past four years. "We have to form a government as soon as possible," Borisov said, adding that he would seek one or more allies from a range of smaller centre-right parties. Borisov, a former bodyguard ... Read Full Story

International observers refused to give a "clean bill of health" to the general election in Bulgaria at the weekend, which saw the centre-right opposition roundly defeat the ruling Socialists. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe still said Sunday's vote was "competitive and generally well-run" and that the outcome reflected "the will of the people." The OSCE and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) sent monitors for the first such observer mission to a general election in a European Union member state. According to official preliminary results, there was a sharp swing to the right, with the centre-right opposition GERB ... Read Full Story

Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party of Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov is the clear winner of the general election, according to definitive results released by the central electoral commission. The former opposition party garnered 39.72 percent of the vote, which translated to 116 seats in parliament, according to the final results from Sunday's election. Borisov, who has already said he is ready to become the next prime minister, is due to hold talks this week with the small right-wing Blue Coalition that garnered 6.76 percent and 15 seats. An alliance with them would secure him a working majority in the 240-seat parliament. The outgoing Socialists of ... Read Full Story