PAZARDZHIK MAYOR HEADS THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPALITIES

The Mayor of Pazardzhik, Todor Popov, was elected Chairman of the National Association of Municipalities in the Repubic of Bulgaria (NAMRB). This choice, however, gave raise to controversies, on the part of different political forces, after the general meeting of the organisation yesterday.

According to representatives of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), active party members from the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) have allied and have virtually removed the socialists from the management of the association. The Mayor of Pernik, Rositsa Yanakieva, commented that this was likely due to “political interests."

The alternative candidate from BSP was Targovishte's Mayor, Krasimir Mirev, who received the confidence of 159 delegates. The remaining 305 votes, representing 66% of all 464 valid ballots, were casted for Todor Popov. Popov is a consensus figure, since  he appeared as an independent candidate at the mayoral elections last year and defeated GERB’s nominee in Pazardzhik, Todor Georgiev. Acting as Mayor for a second term in office, he is supported by a group of  Municipal Councillors, which has a majority in the local parliament.
The former Chairperson of NAMRB, Dora Jankova, which until 2011 was Mayor of Smolyan, from BSP, however, expressed concern over the trend of a "dominating single party government " imposed by GERB both at the state level, and now in the National Association of Municipalities, which is considered the largest NGO in the country.

As former head of the structure, Yankova summarised her interacting with the Government of Boyko Borissov during her 2.5 year term of office with the words: “We led a dialogue, but with very few results."