site.btaUPDATED Campaign Highlights: Sept. 2

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party leader Mustafa Karadai said in Vidin that "a stable government cannot be formed without the MRF". He urged people to vote for the MRF, because the party has the most expertise, experience and in it lies the key to solving all the problems in the country. The MRF's campaign slogan is "Security and Stability with the MRF" and its printed on the party's white campaign bus. MEP Ilhan Kyuchuk, president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE), who arrived on the bus, also participated in the campaign opening.

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Continue the Change launched their election campaign here on Friday. The rally in the city's central square began with the national anthem. The party's co-leaders Kiril Petkov and Assen Vassilev and Executive Council member Nikola Minchev were applauded when they climbed the platform. "We are facing a choice. A choice between a Bulgaria of the transition and back-stage dealings and a new, changed Bulgaria. A Bulgaria of the transition, where contaminated food crossed the border at Kapitan Andreevo uncontrolled for years on end. A Bulgaria of the transition, where pensions stagnated, where kindergartens were unavailable and unaffordable. And a new Bulgaria, a changed Bulgaria," Petkov said, addressing the rally.

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Plamen Stoyanov from MIR told BTA that his party's candidate list includes prominent faces. The formation has already opened its election campaign with a church service in Sofia. Stoyanov pointed out that the list includes experts in various fields - diplomats, ambassadors, professors, etc. The party aims at a worthy performance in the elections, Stoyanov said. He stressed that his party participates independently in the early parliamentary elections on 2 October.

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Bulgarian Rise leader Stefan Yanev said in Plovdiv Friday that his party will offer specific economic solutions for the demographic crisis in Bulgaria, for both those who live in the country and abroad. The party will also propose two tax systems, with a flat tax for businesses that invest, create jobs and export their products, and a progressive income tax but for businesses that work with public funds. Another proposal will include a mandate and work evaluations for central and local government administration.

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Rise Up Bulgaria launched their election campaign in front of the Lukoil headquarters in Sofia. At the opening ceremony, Manolova highlighted five main priorities, which she defined as a "rescue plan" for the winter: high fuel prices; the "impossible" household bills; energy-poor people; the incomes, a minimum wage target of BGN 1,260 and phased introduction of progressive income taxation; and, last, people's indebtedness. Manolova said that it is time for honest and fighting people to enter Parliament. She added that together with the mothers from The System Kills Us Movement her party will defend the rights of ordinary people.

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There Is Such a People launched their election campaign in Pleven, northern Bulgaria, on Friday. Party co-leader Toshko Yordanov said the location was deliberate, as "Pleven is the city of [party leader] Slavi Trifonov". "We were the only ones, who stood beside you over the previous year or so; the only ones dealing with politics while keeping their word. We are the only ones, who follow through after making a promise, who keep their dignity and stand by their signature after signing an agreement," Yordanov said. The party's candidate list in 15th Multi-member Constituency - Pleven is headed by Lyubomir Karimanski, who emphasized the importance of improving the demographic results in the country, as well as supporting the people and businesses, especially in the upcoming months.

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GERB leader Boyko Borissov said in the northern city of Pleven Friday that his party's main priorities are health and education. He met with party activists and local MP candidates. Borissov said that he went to Pleven with the concern that the local party organization has been problematic but is now convinced that local party members are united. He stressed that the only chance to get a better quality of life for the North-Western and Western Bulgaria is through EU funds. He added that the second place in the candidate list for Pleven is Denitsa Nikolova, who has experience in working with EU funds and regional development. According to the GERB leader, Bulgaria currently has the weakest investment climate and "food prices are at an all-time high". He said that mayors and municipal councils are the last pillars for this country amid the crisis.

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At a news briefing in the western town of Pernik, MP candidate Alexander Simov (BSP for Bulgaria) said that the biggest issue that needs to be addressed during the campaign is to make sure Bulgarian people don't feel the economic crisis this coming winter. Simov is the top-of-the-list candidate of his Socialist-led coalition in this town. He said most people don't want to know where the gas will come from and how the government will secure heating, but they do want to know that there will be heating and that prices will stop going up in the supermarket every day. Simov also said that pensions need to be adjusted once again; that businesses and household gas users should be compensated for the high gas prices. BSP proposes freezing the price of gas. The budget has a surplus and it should be spent the right way, the MP candidate added.

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The sequence of the campaign highlights featured in this report follows the ballot numbers of the 29 contestants in the October 2 snap parliamentary elections.