Bulgarian Police Officers Renew Protests Against Proposed IntMin Reforms

Bulgarian police officers renewed their protests against the proposed changes to the Interior Ministry Act, which foresee cuts to the compensation paid upon retirement and reduction in the number of days of paid annual leave new officers will be entitled to.

On Monday, there were protests in Sofia, Plovdiv, Pleven and Gotse Delchev, private bTV station informs.

A relatively low number of police officers gathered in Sofia and Plovdiv to protest the proposed changes.

Police officers are claiming that there is no dialogue with Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova, but at this stage they are not demanding her resignation.

Around a hundred border police officers held a peaceful procession on the main streets of Gotse Delchev.

More than a hundred police officers gathered in Pleven to express their discontent with the proposed changes to the Interior Ministry Act.

A large-scale protest in Sofia is being prepared to take place on Thursday.

Police officers staged large-scale protests against proposed cuts to social benefits, remuneration and retirement conditions in November last year.

Back then, the government conceded to the demands of the protesters and withdrew the proposed reforms.

However police officers have remained discontent with the newly proposed changes as according to them, these do not constitute a genuine reform.

The chairperson of the parliamentary Internal Security and Public Order committee, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, will host a public discussion of the proposed changes to the Interior Ministry Act on Tuesday.

Bachvarova, the political leadership of the ministry, all directors of the ministry's general directorates, the leadership of the ministry's academy and all trade unions have been invited...