Bulgarian PM tables bill to cut state subsidies for political parties to lev per vote

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s government has tabled in the National Assembly a bill that, if approved, would cut state subsidies for political parties that won more than one per cent of the vote in the most recent election from a current 11 leva to one lev (about 50 euro cents) per vote won.

The move follows days of controversy after it emerged that a number of political parties had been overpaid under the current system. Among the five parties that have to pay back the excess sum is Borissov’s centre-right GERB party.

Estimates are that the reduction of the state subsidy would save Bulgaria’s coffers between 16 million and 18 million leva. The proposal is that the legislation would take effect on July 1 2019.

Borissov paid an unscheduled visit to Parliament on the morning of June 6 to announce the government proposal, which came a few days after the Prosecutor’s Office said that it had found irregularities in the implementation of the system.

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