Sat, Jul 04 2009
A coalition of 13 non-government organisations launched a campaign to encourage Bulgarians to vote in the October 22 presidential elections, Darik Radio reported.
The campaign is called "I care" and is a response to concerns that voter turnout will be low.
One hundred thousand silicone bracelets in the colours of Bulgaria's flag and with the slogan "I care" would be given away during the campaign, Darik said.
The bracelets would be distributed in discos, cafes, and public transport throughout the country. Banners, radio and television clips would also be aired, Darik said.
Tania Boroudjieva, an organiser and participant in the campaign, said that in a democratic country the only way to elect someone you liked or to punish a politician you disliked was to vote in the elections.
It was not too late for such a campaign, Boroudjieva said, because people usually decided whether to vote or not in the last 10 days before the elections.
In a blow against a problem that has been plaguing Bulgaria’s elections, State Agency for National Security and Interior Ministry say several people in a ‘major criminal organisation’ have been arrested for vote-buying, on the eve of the July 5 vote.
Barometer Info survey on July 3 2009, just ahead of the eve of Bulgaria’s national parliamentary elections, gives GERB 27.05 per cent and Sergei Stanishev’s Coalition for Bulgaria 19.09 per cent.
The exact number of people sacked from duty out of the 600 who refused to go to work on Monday is undisclosed, although reports claim that as of June 3 at least four people were told they were surplus to requirements.
Open your mind and face the unknown: the 2009 general elections in Bulgaria.
City halls have the power to decide the time frame of the ban on alcohol in stores, bars and restaurants