Bulgaria MPs to Vote on New Competition Watchdog Members

A committee of lawmakers is to hold a hearing of candidates to take over as members of the Commission for the Protection of Competition, Bulgaria's anti-monopoly watchdog.

Parliament is to carry through the procedure despite concerns raised Radan Kanev, the leader of DSB party, and subsequently by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov that the election might be flawed.

The Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) are part of the junior coalition partner to Borisov, the Reformist Bloc, but last year announced thety were moving into opposition. Kanev earlier this week warned the election should be halted as the candidate names, a predictable choice, and legal amendments that assign more competence to the CPC to oversee public tenders do not contribute to the body's efficiency. His remarks come against the backdrop of the cancellation in February of a series of public tenders worth hundreds of millions of BGN.

Lawmakers approved earlier this year new legislation on public procurement, which sparked controversy with the boosted authority of commission's body, but also, in the words of opposition MPs, set out vague criteria for the award of public works. It also stipulates that insolvent companies can be admitted to tenders.

Borisov had suggested that if there is any tinge of doubt about transparency and efficiency of the election procedure, it should be stopped for the moment.

But his GERB party's parliamentary group head Tsvetan Tsvetanov said the rules to elect new CPC members had been voted by lawmakers and counted on support from the majority of MPs.

Other Reformist Bloc parties also disagreed with Kanev.

However, a non-profit organization also warned against the procedure, saying fast-track rules of hearings and...