Nikola Spasov

Nikola Spasov became the Balkans representative for Cambridge Analytica in January 2017. He told BIRN that since then the firm has worked on two election campaigns in the region.

 "Cambridge Analytica has not worked in Macedonia so far, either in political campaigns or for commercial clients. It worked on two campaigns in the region, in which I was personally engaged," he says.

The campaign for the October 15 local elections in Macedonia will feature a mixed bag of local topics and big national issues, observers say - adding that the result will serve as an important barometer of the popularity of new course of the country following the change of regime at a national level.

The player of Spartak Moscow Ivelin Popov was awarded the best Bulgarian footballer of the year prize on Saturday.

Popov garnered 241 points, leaving behind him Palermo midfielder Ivaylo Chochev and CSKA Moscow midfielder Georgi Milanov.

Bulgarian Sports Minister Krasen Kralev handed the award to the captain of the Bulgarian men's national football team.