FACTBOX-Economic plans of Bulgaria's main political parties

Sun Jul 5, 2009 4:16am EDT
 
[-] Text [+]

SOFIA, July 5 (Reuters) - Bulgaria held a parliamentary election on Sunday.

All key parties hope to maintain macroeconomic stability by preserving the currency board regime and the 1.95583 lev per euro peg, introduced after a financial meltdown in the mid-1990s.

Here are the key points of their economic programmes: GERB - revise the 2009 budget to cut spending and start immediate talks with the International Monetary Fund for an aid package - aim for balanced budgets - cut social insurance payments by up to 5 percentage points from 33.6 percent - work towards an accelerated entry to ERM-2 (european rate mechanism) - freeze projects for which no financing has been secured - invest in education

BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY (BSP) - sees no need for IMF aid for now - maintain budget surpluses - raise average monthly pay to 485 euros from about 300 now - keep unemployment below 7.5 pct, create 100,000 new jobs - push ahead with major infrastructure projects - keep inflation down by freezing prices of state-regulated monopolies - aim for ERM-2 entry in 2010 MOVEMENT FOR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS (MRF) - cut spending, avoid budget deficits - improve tax collection and tighten control of spending - improve EU aid absorption - keep current tax levels - cut social security payments once the crisis is over - allow for wage raises in line with productivity gains - boost infrastructure projects to keep unemployment low BLUE COALITION: - cut spending to 38 percent of GDP from 40 percent now - cut value added tax and social insurance contributions - adopt the euro by 2013 - invest in construction of highways - freeze the Belene nuclear power plant project, the South Stream gas pipeline and the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline NATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR STABILITY AND PROGRESS (NMSP) - seek a precautionary agreement with the IMF - aim for a quick ERM-2 entry and eurozone entry by 2013 - cut spending to 35 percent of GDP - cut social security payments by 5 percentage points - cut VAT to 18 percent from 20 once the crisis is over For main story please double click on [ID:nL5588996] (Compiled by Tsvetelia Ilieva and Irina Ivanova)

 
Actors Vincent Curatola (L), Steven Van Zandt (C) and Tony Sirico from "The Sopranos" arrive at the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles January 27, 2008. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Wall St meets "The Sopranos"

Details of an alleged insider trading ring read like the script of a mobster drama, full of coded nicknames, disposable cell phones and paranoia about informants. But in the end, all of the precautions were for naught.  Full Article 

More News

Bulgarian ex-bodyguard eyes government after vote
Sunday, 5 Jul 2009 06:46pm EDT 
FACTBOX: Main political parties in Bulgaria
Sunday, 5 Jul 2009 04:29am EDT 

Featured Broker sponsored link

REUTERS/Chip East
Insider sales not a sell signal this time

Corporate bosses are likely to sell more of their companies' stock through the end of the year, but that does not mean stock prices have reached a peak.  Full Article