Bulgaria holds presidential elections... and attacks in the Black Sea dominate the campaigns

The Bulgarians will elect a new president, the day after tomorrow, Sunday, following an election campaign that focused mainly on the Russian war in Ukraine and the escalation of hostilities in the Black Sea, close to the Bulgarian border, including bloody drone attacks targeting commercial ships.

The candidates also address citizens' concerns about the sharp rise in energy prices and the worsening inflation, as many Bulgarians in rural areas struggle to meet their basic living needs.

According to the Associated Press, the presidency in Bulgaria has essentially ceremonial powers. Although the head of state does not have executive powers, and major policies are subject to parliamentary approval, the people’s direct election of the president gives him greater political power.

The president commands the armed forces, has the right to veto legislation, signs international treaties, and appoints ambassadors.

The president in Bulgaria is elected by direct vote for a term of 5 years, and he may not hold office for more than two terms.

Ukraine and Russia announced on Friday that they had exchanged 270 prisoners of war each, in a move that is one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring parties.

Among the released Ukrainians were five people who were believed to have been killed in an attack on a prison in a Russian-controlled region in eastern Ukraine in 2022, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“270 of our people have returned to their homes,” Zelensky said on social media. This is a very important achievement,” according to Agence France-Presse.

In turn, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the exchange, noting “the return of 270 Russian soldiers.”

Zelensky published photos of some of the released Ukrainians. Many of them appeared to have shaven heads and wrapped themselves in Ukrainian flags.

Moscow and Kiev have exchanged thousands of captured soldiers since Moscow launched its ongoing attack on Ukraine in 2022.

On Friday, the Greek Parliament approved a law prohibiting the use of social media for those under 15 years of age, making Greece join a list of countries that impose restrictions on boys’ use of these platforms.

Last April, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced plans for this ban, using the TikTok platform, one of the most popular social media networks among young people in Greece, to explain this measure, which he said was “difficult, but necessary.”

After a heated debate in a parliamentary session that began Thursday and extended until Friday, the conservative “New Democracy” party, led by Mitsotakis, used its parliamentary majority to pass the bill, amid the absence of support from any other parties, according to the Greek News Agency “ANA.”

As for the opposition socialist PASOK party, it abstained from voting, after proposing an alternative draft law prohibiting the use of social media for those under the age of 13, while imposing parental supervision on those between the ages of 13 and 14 years. Other leftist and nationalist parties voted against the draft law, according to Agence France-Presse.

The law, scheduled to enter into force on January 1, will require social media networks to verify the ages of users, and impose strict penalties on violating companies.

Australia was the first country to impose a ban on the use of social media for those under 16 years of age, and more than 20 countries have passed similar laws, according to a count by Agence France-Presse.

Critics say that social media networks use algorithms that lead to children becoming addicted to screens, warning that excessive browsing of these platforms may harm their mental health.

These decisions have faced opposition from advocates of freedom of expression, and some question the effectiveness of such restrictions.