Third Protest in Varna in Support of Detained Mayor Blagomir Kotsev

Veneta Litkova, BTA correspondent Danail Voykov

Third protest in front of the Municipality building in support of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, Varna, on the Black Sea, July 16, 2025 (BTA Photo/Krasimir Krastev)

Varna, on the Black Sea,

16.07.2025 19:59

(BTA)

For the third time, residents of Varna held a protest on Wednesday in support of the city’s mayor, Blagomir Kotsev, who was detained on July 8. The previous two demonstrations in his defence took place on July 9th and July 14th, with a petition In Support of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev and in Defence of the Rule of Law in Bulgaria, launched before the second protest.

At the start of the rally, a statement from ex deputy mayor Dian Ivanov was read aloud. In it, Ivanov, who shared the message on his personal social media profile, claimed that he had given testimony before the Counter-Corruption Commission under pressure.

Among the protesters were Deputy Mayors from Kotsev’s team, municipal councilors, and citizens. The crowd chanted "Freedom!" and held signs supporting the detained mayor as well as the two municipal councilors Nikolay Stefanov and Yordan Kateliev.

/DD/