The municipal council in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Bourgas voted on June 1 to ban the wearing in public of clothing such as the burqa that covers the face.
In the 51-member council, 34 councillors voted in favour of the ban, nine abstained and one voted against.
As has happened in other Bulgarian municipalities, such as Pazardzhik and Stara Zagora, where the wearing of the burqa in public has been banned, the proposal was tabled by a constituent party of the nationalist Patriotic Front, the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria (NFSB).
The NFSB is a minority party in the council, with just four councillors. The largest group in the council is Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s centre-right GERB, which has 29 seats on the council. [Sofia Globe] Read more
