site.btaSofia City Council Revotes Naming Area Outside Russian Embassy Heroes of Ukraine

The Sofia Municipal Council on Friday revoted an April 7 resolution naming The Heroes of Ukraine an alley adjoining the Russian Embassy building, naming a small park near the Embassy after the late Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, and on flying the Ukrainian flag from City Hall alongside the Bulgarian flag.

The vote was taken after Sofia City Regional Governor Ivan Kyuchoukov of There Is Such a People returned the resolutions for further discussion on April 18, arguing that they were legally untenable.

Again, only the municipal councillors of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, VMRO and Ataka opposed the three resolutions. Those in favour were GERB-UDF, Democratic Bulgaria and independent Boris Bonev. The motion on the alley was carried by 35 votes in the 61-member Council.

The last resort to block the implementation of the resolutions now is a challenge before the Sofia City Administrative Court by reason of legal non-conformity. The power of appeal is vested in municipal councillors and the regional governor.