Kidnapping is still leading topic in morning talk shows of the Bulgarian-language television channels. Talking to Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Yuli Abadjiev, head of the Union of Bulgarian Commandos, commented on the release of Litex football club president Angel Bonchev and the kidnapping of his wife while she was paying the ransom for her husband. “Five km is not much for a good equipment,” Abadjiev said, on being asked whether the from which distance the police followed Bonchev’s wife at her meeting with the kidnappers was too long.

However, “it become obvious that [the police] needed new equipment", he said. What happened “sounds amateur”. Bulgaria needed a “centre to deal with that kind of activities”; there should be experts and psychologists to negotiate with the kidnappers and to prepare the families of the victims to cope with the situation.

Yordan Bakalov, head of the parliamentary group of United Democratic Forces, told private channel Nova Television that “obviously we are talking about a very big blunder”, referring to the kidnapping of Bonchev’s wife. There used to be two institutions that had authority, the Interior Ministry and the Defence Ministry, but thanks to this Cabinet, their image had been destroyed, Bakalov said.

He also said that “Bulgaria won’t be able to develop as an agricultural country, Bulgaria won’t be able to be competitive to the neighbouring markets”, which was already obvious in the prices in Bulgaria, he said, commenting on the latest development of the Sapard funding controversy in Bulgaria. Bulgaria received a letter from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) reading that there were powerful forces in the Cabinet who did not want the problem to be resolved. “Again it became clear that someone from outside has to show us what to do inside,” he said.