Controversial businessman Plamen Galev, who with his business partner Angel Hristov adds up to the duo commonly known as the "Galevi Brothers’ has been nominated as a a candidate for Bulgaria’s Parliament despite being currently under arrest, Bulgaria news agency Focus said on May 23 2009.
 
Following the latest amendments to the Election Act, Galev has decided to take part in Bulgaria’s July 5 parliamentary elections. According to the Penal Code, a person who is registered as a candidate MP can ask for a halt to all legal proceedings against him so that he can campaign for the elections.
 
This means that Galev, under arrest since January 2009 and charged with intimidating a local journalist, can be set free for the duration of the 21-day election campaign. To make this happen, the two must be first registered as candidates by the Central Elections Committee (CEC).
 
All of the seven-member initiative committee that has raised Galev’s candidacy were present at the filing of his paperwork at Kuystendil regional elections committee. They presented all the necessary documents, Focus said.
 
All the committee has to do is to gather at least 10 000 signatures in support of Galev’s candidacy to run as a majority candidate at the elections. According to Focus, the committee had already started gathering the signatures in Galev’s home town of Doupnitsa in southern Bulgaria.
 
On April 28, Galev’s lawyer Menko Menkov said that Galev had decided to answer the call of many of their fellow citizens from Doupnitsa who had asked him stand for Parliament.
 
This will become possible because, for the first time in the past 18 years, Bulgarians will be able to vote for 31 majority candidates - meaning, MPs elected directly as individuals rather than from a party list - for the 240-seat Parliament.
 
To run as a majority candidate one has to form an initiative committee of between three and seven people, find 10 000 signatures in his or her support and deposit 15 000 leva.