National Open-Air Protest Conference Held in Sofia

Bulgaria's "Eagles' Bridge" movement's main demand is the State getting a loan to up by 10% wages and retirement pensions over high utility bills. Photo by BGNES

The National Protest "Open-Air Conference," organized by Bulgaria's "Eagles' Bridge" movement starts Saturday in Sofia at 2 pm.

It was initially announced the conference would be held in the Arena Armeets venue in the capital, but the organizers gave up on it after it emerged that shady individuals might be behind paying the bill to use the expensive facility.

The meeting is going to take place on the square before the Alexander Nevsky cathedral.

The movement's main demand is the State getting a loan to up by 10% the minimum monthly wage, wages lower than BGN 500 a month and retirement pensions over high utility bills. Their deadline is July 1, 2013. They are also asking to reduce unemployment by financing various projects.

It emerged meanwhile that the movement plans to run at the upcoming snap election on May 12.

Due to the meeting, the Sofia City Hall has announced a number of traffic and parking restrictions in the vicinity of the cathedral and nearby streets.

There is another meeting of representatives of demonstrators, held also on Saturday in the central city of Gabrovo.

Hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians have been protesting for nearly a month against the political model of ruling the country. The demonstrations started as protests against the unbearable utility bills, the monopolies and the wide-spread poverty, and later turned into a civil unrest and political demands.

On February 21, Bulgaria's Parliament approved the resignation of the government of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, and his ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, amidst the unprecedented since 1997 protest rallies.