Bulgaria's Parliament elects Plamen Oresharski as new Prime MinisterMay 29, 2013 - 17:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Bulgaria's Parliament on Wednesday, May 29 elected Plamen Oresharski as the country's new prime minister, ending a three-month long political stalemate after the previous center-right government resigned in February amid social protests, AP reported. Lawmakers voted 120-97 to elect 53-year-old Oresharski, a former finance minister not associated with any party, to head the Cabinet. In a separate vote, legislators also approved the Cabinet itself — a 15-member government of technocrats supported by the Socialist Party and a mainly ethnic Turkish party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Oresharski promised to bring stability, economic growth and a normal business environment to the cash-strapped country, which now has 14 percent unemployment rate and the lowest average wages in the European Union. About 22 percent of the population lives below the official poverty line. Oresharski appointed Zinaida Zlatanova as his deputy in charge of justice and home affairs, and the absorption of EU funding on which the country relies heavily. Zlatanova was the former head of the EU delegation in Sofia. New finance minister will be Petar Chobanov, a former chairman of the country's financial regulator. Kristian Vigenin, a European Parliament member, will be the new foreign minister, and Angel Naidenov will head the ministry of defense. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Welcome to CaseKey 2024. Byblos Bank Armenia firmly stands by future innovators Strategic business cases, invaluable experience, innovative approaches and more than 25 events are in store for the participants of CaseKey 2024. Macron honors Charles Aznavour on 100th anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the memory of French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. Blinken says U.S. reviewing a number of aid requests from Armenia He said the U.S. is reviewing the requests to determine what more it can do to increase its assistance to Armenia. At least 2 CSTO members participated in preparing 44-day war against Armenia – PM Nikol Pashinyan has declared that at least two CSTO member countries participated in preparations for the 44-day war against Armenia. |