Patriotic Front (PF)

The Patriotic Front (PF), one of the parties supporting the coalition government, demands the introduction of compulsory voting in Bulgaria prior to the forthcoming local elections in the autumn.

The PF will initiate amendments to the Election Code to ensure compulsory voting is introduced for the local elections, daily Dnevnik reports.

The parties constituting Bulgaria's ruling coalition are divided over the Finance Ministry's proposal for a new debt amounting to BGN 16 B, which is to be voted in Parliament later on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov held consultations with the four parties supporting the coalition government - GERB, RB, PF and ABV, private bTV station reports.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is the most mentioned figure in Bulgarian media in 2014, shows the joint media monitoring of the foundations Media Democracy and Konrad Adenauer, released on Tuesday.

Borisov was mentioned 3908 times in eight leading Bulgarian media (4 daily newspapers and 4 TV stations) in 2014.

Bulgarians increased their confidence in the parliament and government in January, shows Gallup's monthly political and economic index, which was released on Wednesday.

According to the analysts, this is the result of the coming into power of a new government, rather than a real assessment of its concrete work.

Bulgaria's ruling coalition has merged parts of the executive and the legislature into a new body - the Council for development.

This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister for Coalition Policy and Public Administration Rumyana Bachvarova in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) on Sunday.

Bulgarian members of parliament from the four parties constituting the ruling coalition, tabled amendments to the Public Procurement Act in the National Assembly on Thursday.

Bulgaria could be heading for a new snap poll unless the main ruling party, center-right GERB, distances itself from the nationalist formation supporting the cabinet, a key political leader has warned.

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) leader Lyutvi Mestan has lashed out at an agreement reached between two of the government-related entities last week to move news bulletins in Turkish from the public broadcaster's national program.

The daily news bulletin delivered in Turkish by the Bulgarian National Television is to be rescheduled, an official from the governing coalition has said.

A crowd of a few hundred people mainly formed by actors, directors, musicians, writers and artists has staged a sit-in at a key square in downtown Sofia and then by the Parliament building.