The United Democratic Forces (UtDF) programme has no rivals among the election candidates, and this is why every other political formation has copied it, according to Finance Minister Muravei Radev, who is also among the leaders of the Union of the Democratic Forces (UDF) - the major party in the UtDF coalition.

Radev was joined by Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofianski, Economy Minister Petar Zhotev, and Labour Minister Ivan Neikov as the four presented the UtDF election programme in their election headquarters in the National Palace of Culture on Monday.

The programme for the UtDF's second mandate, titled "Work and Security," would be the third stage of the work they had begun back in 1996. The interim UDF government found Bulgaria in 1996 in a situation of a total catastrophe, and the UtDF coalition has succeeded since then to put the country on the right track and to earn it international respect, Radev said. During the first two stages of its rule, the UtDF coalition reestablished the institutions that had dissolved in the catastrophe, and then created macroeconomic stability through structural reforms, liquidation of loss-making enterprises and privatisation of successful ones, he explained.

This third stage would bring steady economic growth to the country, which on its turn would lead to increase of the living standard of every single Bulgarian, Radev said. It was only possible due to the work that the UtDf had already done - the hard, with high social cost, but absolutely necessary economic reforms. "We did not do a single strategic, fatal mistake, and for the others we apologize," he added.

On their election programme is making Bulgaria a much more attractive country to foreign investors through a general tax decrease and increase of economic activity, supporting the bank system through easing creditors' work, developing the land market through allowing foreigners to buy land in the country, helping the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector by providing free information for the Bulgarian agreements with the international institutions, as well as free advice for starting and running SMEs. Bulgaria is to turn into the energy centre of the Balkans, to have the second Danube Bridge connecting Vidin in Bulgaria with Kalafat in Romania, and a developed telecommunications sector.

"The EU and NATO accessions are not simply for the sake of accession - they are the highest form of security and of prosperity," Radev added. According to him, a weak government or an unstable parliamentary majority could lead to the EU deciding to stop the negotiations. "The exotic promises of newly-born politicians, such as the one for zero taxes, are harmful," Radev said. "We already saw the negative reaction of the World Bank - and others will follow."