Bulgarian Agrarian National Union

Turning a New Page

People stand on their balconies next to the election banner of the GERB party reading, 'Stronger than chaos' in Sofia. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

Today, the leader of the Conservative Union of the Right (KOD) Petar Moskov contacted by phone the boxing champion Kubrat Pulev, who in recent months has sharply criticized Bulgarian politicians and the lack of effective leadership.

Bulgarian Agrarian National Union (BANU) Chairman and former defence minister Nikolay Nenchev and the entire party leadership tendered their resignations on Sunday but the BANU Governing Council turned them down, BNR said.

 The party adopted a declaration calling on the democratic community to unite and slamming what they see as a "retaliatory policy" of the caretaker government.

One of the "heavyweight" parties of the Reformist Bloc alliance, the junior partner in Bulgaria's coalition government, has said it will pull out of governance if the bloc's candidate fails to gather enough votes in the presidential elections.

One of the Reformist Bloc's parties has said it may propose the alliance to call for early general elections in Bulgaria next year if "all other options are exhausted".

The People's Party for Freedom and Dignity (NPSD), which is part of the Refomist Bloc (RB) coalition, might quit the bloc because of discontent with coalition partners, media reports suggest.

The Bulgarian Agrarian National Union (BZNS) and the People's Party for Freedom and Dignity (NPSD) have demanded that the Reformist Bloc, a loose coalition of parties of which they are members, should continue to exist.

Nikolay Nenchev, who took over as Bulgaria's Defense Minister on Friday, said he had observed many instances of wrongdoings at his institution.

On Sunday he voiced his concerns that, according to estimates he has been made familiar with, about BGN 2 B have been drained out "somewhere" within ten years.

He has masters degrees in law and political science. Nenchev has taught in the New Bulgarian University, Sofia.

Nenchev is deputy chair of the "European Integration" association and coordinator of the programme for trans-border cooperation and European integration for South Eastern Europe.

He was the head of staff of Vice President Todor Kavaldzhiev.

Meglena Kuneva, former Bulgarian Minister and MEP, will top the Reformist Bloc's list at the European Elections.