13th day of anti-government protests

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от БНТ

23:21, 21.07.2020

For 13th day in a row, members of the public staged a protest in the centre of Sofia on July 21. They continued to demand the resignation of the government, the chief prosecutor and the eradication of corruption from the power.

Today’s protest was under the slogan “We are the real vote of no confidence”.

Tonight the protest took the form of a procession. The starting point was the Council of Ministers. The protesters passed by the Court Palace through Vitoshka street, passed by the Univerrsity, stopped at Eagles’ Bridge, where they blocked traffic for a short period of time, then stopped in front of the building of the public service broadcaster BNTand stayed there for about 20 minutes. They demanded the resignation of the BNT Director General, Emil Koshlukov. Then they returned to the Council of Ministers.

The protests in the capital began shortly before noon with a blockade of the square in front of the National Assembly building.

At 11 a.m., ten protesters blocked traffic on Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd.

The news that the no-confidence vote against the cabinet was rejected was met with the national anthem.

"No one expected the government to fall, but we will continue until that happens. There is no way we can give up. These people must clear off from this country," said one of the protesters.

The informal organizers of the protests - the trio Babikyan, Minekov and Hadzhigenov - announced that the people in the squares had already voted a vote of no confidence in the ruling.

In the early afternoon, representatives of the civic association “Bulgaria United with One Purpose” (BUOP) also protested. They gathered in front of a restaurant in Sofia in the area of the National Palace of Culture. The establishment became known during the investigation of the Anti-Corruption Fund called "The Eight Dwarfs", in which it is alleged that the business of Iliya Zlatanov was seized with the assistance of investigators and state institutions. The Prosecutor's office has launched a check into the disclosures. During the protest, the resignation of the chief prosecutor was again demanded.

After 7 pm, the protesters walked to the Triangle of Power. Protesters again blocked traffic on Tsar Osvoboditel and Dondukov boulevards.

"People are just dissatisfied because these are too many years of such use, of behind-the-scenes politics. No solutions are applied to the problems, no solutions are sought - everything is disguised and swept away," said Elena Nikolova.

"They will not deceive us with their attempts to present us with changes in the cabinet, behind which the same political theatre will continue to be played," said Georgi Elenkov.

The protesters say they are reluctant to compromise and will continue to push for their demands.

After 8:30 pm, the chanting “Resignation “ to the government and the chief prosecutor was said repeatedly. Protesters also demanded judicial reform, including closing the parliamentary quota in the Supreme Judicial Council, closing down the specialised courts and the leitmotif of the protests, namely cutting the powers of the chief prosecutor.

The situation before the Council of Ministers has been calm. The police presence in the area remains strong.