site.btaMedia Review: February 26

Thursday's news media are dominated by reports about the rejected presidential veto on amendments to the Election Code that limit the number of voting sections in non-EU countries to 20 in Bulgarian elections. All major print dailies write that eight MPs from BSP–United Left were removed from the party lists for the upcoming elections after voting against the veto on Wednesday. 24 Chasa recalls that a day earlier Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Krum Zarkov had called on the coalition’s 19 MPs to support the veto. 

POLITICS

bTV reports that after Parliament rejected President Iliana Iotova’s veto and conclusively adopted the Election Code amendments, the rules for voting abroad will enter into force in a more restrictive form. This mainly affects Turkiye, the United States, and the United Kingdom, since no more than 20 sections are opened in other non-EU states.

Speaking on bTV's morning programme, Tsvetelina Peneva, Deputy Chair of the Public Council to the Central Election Commission said: “This is yet another drastic violation of good electoral practices. We are in the middle of an election campaign.” She further noted that reducing the number of polling stations in a country like the United Kingdom, where there is a large Bulgarian community, will lead to people waiting in line for hours to vote, and that if polling stations are located far away, many simply will not go to the polls.

Interviewed on Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), BSP-United Left Deputy Floor Leader Vladimir Georgiev echoed the sentiment that the Election Code should not be amended at the last minute. “We have always maintained that decisions in our party are taken collectively. Our colleagues did not stick to what we had agreed — that it does not befit a socialist party to restrict people’s rights. Krum Zarkov has said they will not be on the candidate lists for the upcoming elections, and that is the right decision,” Georgiev added. “There is no concern about whether BSP will enter the next parliament. Right now, Bulgaria has a pressing need for a left-wing socialist party,” he said. 

In an interview with 24 Chasa, Prof. Mihail Konstantinov, Director of Electoral Analysis and Forecasts at Gallup International Balkan, said that limiting the number of voting sections in non-EU countries will have almost no electoral impact. “At most, it could potentially change one seat,” he adds. “This restriction was aimed at Turkiye, where in the last elections the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) won 33,000 votes and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) – New Beginning about 14,000. In the early elections on April 19, ARF is unlikely to enter Parliament, so the number of voting sections in Turkiye will not have an electoral effect. The vote abroad has so far shifted 2–3 seats in individual elections, and almost always in favor of the MRF. So since 1990, this vote has had not so much electoral as symbolic significance. That, of course, is also very important,” Konstantinov notes. He says voter turnout in the country is about 50%, and between 10% and 15% abroad, bringing the overall turnout to around 40%. He hopes participation will rise to 47%, or about 3.1 million voters. Konstantinov expects that after the elections a majority will be formed led by the largest political force, most likely a two-party coalition with the third political force, which is shaping up to be Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (CC–DB).

Appearing on Bulgarian National Television's morning programme, CC-DB co-Floor Leader and former justice minister Nadejda Iordanova said that restricting Bulgarian citizens’ right to vote does not solve any of the problems in the electoral process. She recalled that ”when There Is Such a People was riding the political wave, it supported efforts to lift the cap on the number of voting sections abroad, including outside the European Union, and that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms had not objected either.” She noted that while Bulgaria does face a problem with controlled voting, this should be addressed through institutional mechanisms. As to the issues surrounding voting in Turkiye and the frequent lack of ballot secrecy there, Iordanova said this is indeed a concern, which is why CC–DB had sent observers to monitor the voting process.

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24 Chasa reports that on February 20 the Sofia Regional Court ruled that Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev had been unlawfully detained for 24 hours on July 8, 2025, in connection with an investigation by the now-defunct Anti-Corruption Commission. The case was brought following Kotsev's complaint. He later spent nearly half a year in custody by court decision, but was initially detained for 24 hours under the Ministry of Interior Act. The detention order was issued by an inspector from the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, but, according to the court’s ruling, it failed to clearly state the legal grounds for the arrest, the daily notes. 

ECONOMY

Caretaker Agriculture and Food Minister Ivan Hristanov was interviewed on Nova TV's morning programme, where he discussed a range of topics. He criticized the performance and spending in the state-run chain of People’s Store, noting unexpected losses and questionable financial forecasts. Citing data from reports he had requested, Hristanov said: “For last year, there was some BGN 200,000 in revenue and BGN 250,000 in loss, and for this year they expect BGN 37 million in revenue — I don’t know how that will happen.” ”The State’s job is to create equal conditions, not enter the market,” he said. Hristanov noted that ongoing reviews of public procurement contracts at the Ministry had revealed significant overpricing. Regarding reports that a shipment of sunflower from Argentina has arrived in Bulgaria, and concerns that it may not meet EU standards for safe plant protection products - potentially undercutting Bulgarian producers due to its lower price  - Hristanov said that the first ship has already arrived. Samples of the sunflower kernels have been taken and sent for analysis. The checks were carried out by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, but the minister said he will insist that representatives of the sector be present during the next inspections. Addressing criticism that the caretaker Cabinet is linked to CC–DB, Hristanov said he has no personal ties to the coalition and that his role in the Cabinet is based solely on his professional qualifications.

In an analysis published in 24 Chasa, Open Society Institute senior economist Georgi Angelov cites data from UBS’s Global Wealth Report 2025, according to which Bulgarians’ net financial wealth is higher than that of Czechs, Poles, Romanians, and Turks. According to the analysis, housing is the main driver behind the growth of wealth in Bulgaria. On the one hand, over 86% of Bulgarians own their homes, which is normal for Eastern Europe, Angelov writes. “On the other hand, property prices are rising rapidly, with Bulgaria ranking among the top three countries for the sharpest price increases over the past year (only Hungary and Portugal are slightly ahead). All of this is being fueled by credit expansion — Bulgaria ranks first in household lending growth. According to a number of studies, housing accounts for the largest share of Bulgarian households’ investments — nearly three-quarters of Bulgarians’ wealth is tied up in real estate. This concentration in property in Bulgaria is several times higher than in developed countries such as the United States (30%) or the United Kingdom (42%),” the analysis notes.

Citing data from the National Council on Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products, Trud writes that more than 700 medicines have increased in price in 2025. These include 108 prescription drugs and 667 over-the-counter products. The number of applications for price increases is roughly the same as in 2024, meaning there is no sign of an accelerated price hike process such as the one seen in 2022 as a result of the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

JUSTICE 

Mediapool.bg reported that a total of 15 prosecutors issued an unprecedented open letter to the Association of the Prosecutors in Bulgaria, sharply criticizing a public campaign against prosecutor Vladimir Nikolov. According to them, the association is violating its own statutes and calling into question its protection of magistrates’ professional rights. Nothing like this has ever happened before in the association, which "serves as a crutch for the Prosecutor General," the media outlet noted. Last week, Nikolov spoke about problematic figures in the judiciary after being removed from his post as district prosecutor in Pleven. Several months earlier, he had also been dismissed from his leadership role in the Association of the Prosecutors in Bulgaria.

Commenting on the open letter, Georgi Georgiev of the civic movement BOEC, said: “The question is where these people have been until now. A rupture of this kind has never happened before. We support this process of awakening within the system, and it should continue.“ BOEC organized a protest on Thursday outside the Supreme Judicial Council, calling for the resignation of acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov. “I expect these people to start speaking - to shed light on the dependencies, the influence exerted over pre-trial proceedings, the appointments, and the staffing within the system. The prosecution service is almost entirely captured,” Georgiev said. In his words, the integrity of the upcoming elections is conditional on a properly functioning Interior Ministry and the replacement of Sarafov, as "these are the two institutions currently protecting the vote-buying schemes.” 

Speaking on BNT's morning programme, Vazrazhdane Deputy Floor Leader Peter Petrov shared his expectations for Thursday’s meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), whose sole agenda item is the appointment of a new acting Prosecutor General. “In my view, such a meeting is long overdue. We have always said that Borislav Sarafov should no longer hold this position, and we hope that today’s meeting will produce a decision to launch a procedure for selecting a new acting office-holder, because it is clear that the post may be held for only six months.” He added that he supports the view that the legislative amendments adopted at the end of January 2025 were specifically designed to ensure that one person may serve as acting office-holder for no more than six months. Petrov noted that Vazrazhdane is entering the elections with the position that a new framework for the judicial system is needed, and even a new Constitution. “All the irregularities in the State are linked to irregularities in the judicial system — to the improper application of the law, the deliberate failure to apply the law, the lack of justice, and the lack of investigation into crimes, specifically within the prosecution service. That is precisely why we are ready to take part in such discussions,” he said.

BULGARIAN EUROPEAN PROSECUTOR

Mediapool.bg reports that the College of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has found the Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva guilty of serious misconduct. Citing an EPPO press release made public on Wednesday, the media outlet writes: "Moreover, the College of the EPPO deferred its decision on the appropriate sanction as, considering the seriousness of the established breaches, and the high degree of responsibility of the function of European Prosecutor, it cannot be excluded that the sanction may be the dismissal of the European Prosecutor. Therefore, the European Chief Prosecutor [Laura Kovesi] informed the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission of the decision of the College of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office as well as of the opinion of the Disciplinary Board in the disciplinary procedure against the Bulgarian European Prosecutor. Only the European Court of Justice may dismiss a European Prosecutor because of serious misconduct, on request of the European Parliament, the Council or the Commission. For this reason, before deciding to apply a lesser sanction, the EPPO must put these institutions in the position to decide whether they deem it appropriate to request the dismissal of the European Prosecutor in question." Bulgarian European Prosecutor Georgieva remains suspended until a final decision will be delivered by the competent institutions, with remuneration withheld in accordance with modalities foreseen under the Staff Regulations. No further information will be made public for the time being, the EPPO said.

Mediapool.bg recalled that an investigation is underway against Teodora Georgieva in connection with a scandal surrounding a probe into the expansion of the Chiren gas storage facility. In March 2025, Georgieva told 24 Chasa that she had been threatened. She also said that the case file contained information alleging that MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski had sought large sums of money from subcontractors involved in the gas storage project. Prior to that an anonymous video was sent to the media, reportedly filmed at the Eight Dwarfs restaurant, which was said to have been used as an office by Petyo “The Euro” Petrov, a controversial figure who served as prosecutor and head of the Sofia Investigative Service. The footage shows a man and a woman from behind, with the man saying it had been “decided” that she would become a European Prosecutor. Georgieva has not denied that she is the woman in the video, and she has not spoken publicly since her interview for 24 Chasa.

SPORTS 

All major print dailies report that world weightlifting champion Karlos Nasar has been named Bulgaria’s Sportsperson of the Year for the second consecutive year. He received the 2025 award from President Iliana Iotova on Wednesday.

Trud carries an interview with volleyball coach Gianlorenzo Blengini, who won the newspaper’s annual Coach of the Year poll. The Italian is the first foreigner to top the ranking, after leading Bulgaria’s men’s national volleyball team to silver medals at the World Championships in the Philippines last summer.