site.btaUPDATED Campaign Highlights: Sept. 23

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Mustafa Karadayi said, addressing voters in Kardjali (South Central Bulgaria), that his party wants to restore normalcy, which mean national priorities and national objectives instead of falsehood and dialogue instead of hatred, confrontation and divisions. In his words, parties, parliamentary groups, government and opposition and institutions need to engage in dialogue. "We have seen democracy, statehood and the state being wrecked since 2009. We have seen enough of this and must stand up for democracy in our country," the MRF leader argued. He would like his party to have 48 MPs elected to the new parliament.

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VMRO - Bulgarian National Movement staged a protest in front of the Central Election Commission (CEC) HQ against "the uncontrolled opening of voting sections in Turkey". Co-chair Iskren Veselinov claimed the number of MPs elected through organized voting in Turkey was sometimes equal to a small parliamentary group. He recalled that his party set a cap on the number of non-EU voting sections, which was repealed by the 45th National Assembly. The party has asked CEC for specific instructions on voting in Turkey but has had no reply for over two weeks. VMRO wants each voter to fill in a declaration in front of the section election commission that they will not vote elsewhere and is against canvassing at and around the voting sections in Turkey.

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Continue the Change (CC) co-leader Kiril Petkov said in Dupnitsa (Southwestern Bulgaria) he was satisfied with his government's steps towards a pension rise and free-of-charge kindergartens. He said that his party had tried to do its best in the complicated situation and that he hoped CC would complete its work now. Its first draft legislation will aim to ensure a working anti-corruption commission. The money saved from corruption, about BGN 4 billion a year, will go towards pensions, young families and education. A specific standard of education quality will be introduced for the first time so that school budgets will reflect quality, among other things. Petkov also promised to solve the locals' problem with water and sewerage infrastructure.

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There Is Such a People candidate and former Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said in Stara Zagora, South Bulgaria: "The technology [for carbon capture and storage] is moving at such a speed that would achieve decarbonization without having to shut down the Maritsa Iztok Complex. The question is whether Europe wants to focus on decarbonization or on the forced closure of a certain type of plants." According to Nikolov, the carbon capture business model will become successful within a few years. The former minister spoke about innovative measures such as the combined production of electricity and agricultural products, as well as energy storage and building industrial zones around reclaimed land.

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GERB leader Boyko Borissov said Shumen, Northeast Bulgaria, that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant must be immediately put under special protection. "I am truly afraid of how naively my colleagues from Europe, and especially from our neighbouring countries, treat the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. We must make such a fuss about this plant... This plant must immediately be put under special security," Borissov said. He spoke about the dangers of military action in the region. "Then what kind of tourism, drinking water, agriculture, animal husbandry, or tobacco production can we talk about," he said. He called for a powerful reaction of the democratic world against Putin.

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.