The Bulgarian Parliament has voted against a proposal to bring the country’s three electricity distribution companies under state ownership. The motion, submitted by the Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) party, aimed to require the Council of Ministers to prepare a financing plan for the state acquisition of Electrodistribution Grid West, Electrodistribution North, and Elektrorazpredelenie Yug, including their respective network infrastructures.
Radostin Vasilev, leader of MECh, argued that more than two decades of privatization have resulted in higher electricity bills, poor service reliability during even minor weather events, and insufficient reinvestment in the distribution network. He called for the proposed nationalization to be accompanied by a full audit tracing back to the original privatization deals, along with legal action to hold the private companies accountable for what he described as long-term exploitation of Bulgarian consumers.