Elected in November 1995, the new local council introduced radical changes in the structure and working style of the central administration with the purpose of restructuring and a more efficient management. The priorities are firmly fixed and the responsibilities of the personnel are clear. A new department has been established, named “Land use, green system and ecology”. Among its priorities are the city agrarian reform and the hot issue of the cleanliness of the capital Another new department is “Deals with Municipality Property” which will take control of the contracts of the municipality. A special section fights against the corruption in administration.

In spite of the shortage of funds control has been taken of the rather grim financial situation.

The mayor and his assistants are representatives of the UDF and its fractions. Their objectives, however, surpass party-political boundaries and are directed towards a professional interaction with the government. Efforts have been made at establishing adequate business relations with all state and party structures with the aim of finding a successful solution to the problems of the capital.

Priority Tasks of Sofia Municipal Council

The priorities were formulated in the pre-electoral programme of the UDF. They are as follows:

• order, security, the fight against corruption and beaurocracy;
• providing conditions for the construction of housing at reasonable prices;
• cleanliness and reconstruction of the transport network;
• solution to the water problem in the capital;
• education, health care and social care.

These priorities have been launched into operation and certain results have already been achieved. The problems, however, are too many to be handled within such a short period of time, the most difficult being security of the citizens and cleanliness of the capital. Adequate remuneration and more legal capacities are enabling the police to fight crime and corruption in a more successful way. The most dangerous zones of Sofia are being filed and the concentration of police forces will be more considerable there. The problem with public lighting is in operation. Reconstruction of the roads has already started. As regards education, the ambition of the Municipal Council is to provide better facilities and equipment for the students, which at the moment is in a poor condition. A lot can be done for the sports facilities for both children and adults.

A so-called “hot-line” has already been put into operation, which citizens can use to report the misfunctioning of public lighting, leakages and scattered litter.

The restructuring of municipal firms and auction sales are forthcoming. Each firm will be in charge of one part of the city, and those enterprises and companies which pollute the capital will be given hard financial sanctions. There is a joint project with the German concern RVE for the establishment of an organisation in cleanliness.

As far as transport is concerned, the hottest issue is the launching of the first underground line.

Choosing places for the construction of 23 car parks is another forthcoming task. This will return pavements to pedestrians, where the pavements are constantly constantly crammed with cars.