site.btaUPDATED Campaign Highlights Sept. 28

Continue the Change (CC) co-leader Assen Vassilev said during a meeting with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) that he believes that forming a new government is a task of utmost importance. According to Vassilev, going through the winter with no functioning parliament would be irresponsible. CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov shared the union's demands to have the minimum wage increase annually by 18% on average, reaching BGN 850 in 2023. The CITUB also want a 12% increase in pensions, using mechanisms that restore the "contribution-entitlement" correlation. Vassilev stated that the minimum wage should be 50% of the average wage as soon as January 1. He expects pension to have doubled by the end of CC's 4-year term.

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Conservative Alliance of the Right (KOD) leader Petar Moskov said in Haskovo, South Bulgaria, that in recent weeks, his party become a real alternative choice for right-wing Bulgarians. "KOD is the voice of free people, of those who can dream of the future and make it one to be proud of," Moskov said. According to him, if people overcome the fear of voting for a party that might not get in parliament, then KOD will get elected and bring change by offering quality rather than quantity. KOD's top-of-the-list candidate for Haskovo, Mincho Kermekchiev, has lustration legislation as a highlight in his programme, which he believes will bring justice and security to the people.

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Vazrazhdane deputy leader Tsoncho Ganev told voters in Kazanlak (Central Bulgaria) that there was a real risk for Bulgaria to get directly involved in a military conflict. He said it was very important that US military bases in Bulgaria should be removed because they and the NATO command centre in the Black Sea city of Varna are a security threat. Only Vazrazhdane can achieve good pragmatic relations with the Russian Federation, and they are key to coping with the crisis. Vazrazhdane will not coalesce with anyone because the party cannot compromise the national interest, Ganev said.

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There Is Such a People (TISP) is organizing a blood donation drive calling on citizens to not fear blood donation. The event was held in front of the National Centre for Transfusion Hematology in Sofia under the motto "Donate". MP candidates Plamen Danailov and Milen Keremedchiev took part. The TISP members said they are there to set an example for the public, because they believe that everyone should donate blood, regardless of who they are.

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GERB deputy leader Tomislav Donchev said during a meeting with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CITUB) in Bulgaria that Bulgaria must have a competent government with an adequate and solid parliamentary support. GERB familiarized CITUB with their recovery plan. Donchev said that the programme includes a package of solutions in all sectors with the plan being to bring inflation to the eurozone's values.

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Former Justice Minister and Democratic Bulgaria member Nadezhda Yordanova said in Ruse, on the Danube, that people want leadership and a regular government. Yordanova believes that people expect the new MPs to focus on solving the crises and the problems rather than taking an "egocentric and dividing lines" approach. "This campaign made me more motivated and more determined to stand up for my goals. I see that direct conversation with people is very useful," she said and expressed hope that she will justify the trust of the people of Ruse to be their worthy representative in the 48th National Assembly.

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BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party) member Georgi Gyokov said in Stara Zagora, South Bulgaria, "Bulgaria must continue to use coal, specifically from its national reserves, as well as invest in other sources of energy, including renewables". Gyokov was adamant that BSP's priorities include the preservation of the Maritsa Iztok thermal power stations. "We shall work to secure sustainable investment in the industry," he said. According to Gyokov, Europe will have to reconsider its green policy and its attitude towards coal-generated electricity. During the discussion, energy expert Ivan Ayolov stated that a potential partial or total shutdown of the Maritsa Iztok Complex would lead to an energy disaster for the country and a social collapse for the region.

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.