More than 25,000 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures in German cities to march against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) while 4,000 Bulgarians in Sofia rallied against the agreement designed to strengthen the legal framework for intellectual property rights.

There were thousands more – mostly young – demonstrators at other high-spirited rallies despite snow and freezing temperatures in cities including Warsaw, Prague, Slovakia, Bucharest, Vilnius, Paris, Brussels and Dublin.

“We don’t feel safe anymore. The Internet was one of the few places where we could act freely,” said Monica Tepelus, a 26-year-old programmer protesting with about 300 people in Bucharest.

Opposition to ACTA in Eastern Europe is especially strong and spreading rapidly. Protesters have compared it to the Big Brother-style surveillance used by former Communist regimes. Downloading films and music is also a popular way for many young Eastern Europeans to obtain free entertainment.

“Stop ACTA!” read a banner carried by one of the 2,000 marchers in central Berlin, where temperatures were -10 Celsius.

“It’s not acceptable to sacrifice the rights of freedom for copyrights,” Thomas Pfeiffer, a leader of the Greens party in Munich where 16,000 people protested against ACTA, was quoted telling Focus magazine’s online edition on Saturday.

Governments of eight nations including Japan and the United Stated signed an agreement in October aiming to cut copyright and trademark theft. The signing was hailed as a step toward bringing ACTA into effect.

Negotiations over ACTA have been taking place for several years. Some European countries have signed ACTA but it has not yet been signed or ratified in many countries. Germany’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday it would hold off on signing.

In Sofia, most of 4,000 demonstrators on Saturday were youths. Some wore the grinning, moustachioed Guy Fawkes masks that have become a symbol of the hacker group Anonymous and other global protest movements.

ACTA aims to cut trademark theft and tackle other online piracy. But the accord has sparked concerns, especially in Eastern European countries as well as in Germany which is sensitive about its history with the Gestapo and Stasi secret police, over online censorship and increased surveillance.

“We want ACTA stopped,” Yanko Petrov, who attended the rally in Sofia, told state broadcaster BNT. “We have our own laws, we don’t need international acts.”

SURVEILLANCE

The protesters are concerned that free downloading of movies and music might lead to prison sentences if the ACTA was ratified by parliaments. They also fear that exchanging material on the Internet may become a crime and say the accord will allow for massive online surveillance.

In Warsaw, some 500 protesters demonstrated, brandishing placards saying “No to ACTA,” “Down with censorship” and “Free Internet.” Several hundred turned out in the southwestern city of Wroclaw, the Baltic port of Szczecin and Poznan.

In Paris, about 1,000 people marched ACTA. “It’s a demonstration without precedent because it’s taking place in all of Europe at the same time,” said Jeremie Zimmermann, spokesman for Internet freedom group Quadrature du Net.

In Prague, about 1,500 people marched against ACTA. Some waved black pirate flags with white skull and crossed bones, and others wore white masks of the Guy Fawkes character.

Some carried banners against the ACTA treaty such as “Freedom to the Internet” and “ACTA attacks Freedom,” and chanted “Freedom, Freedom.” Smaller gatherings took place in other Czech cities.

The Czech government has held off on ratification of the ACTA treaty, saying it needs to be analyzed.

Romanian state-news agency Agerpres said 2,000 people protested in the Transylvanian city of Cluj against ACTA, carrying banners that said: “Paws off the Internet.”

In Croatia, protests were held in Zagreb, Split and Rijeka, with demonstrators, some masked, carrying banners reading “Stop internet censorship.”

A group identifying itself as Anonymous hacked into the webpage of Croatian president Ivo Josipovic, who has defended copyright measures. It remained unavailable for several hours.

It also crashed the pages of ZAMP, a Croatian professional service that looks after the protection of composers’ rights and copyright, and the Institute of Croatian Music.

In Bratislava, hundreds of young Slovaks rallied, many also wearing Guy Fawkes masks. About 1,000 people demonstrated in Budapest.

Local media reported about 600 people protested at the government building in Vilnius. Lithuania Justice Minister Remigijus Simasius said in his blog some of ACTA’s provisions could pose a threat to Internet freedom.

“I don’t know where it (ACTA) comes from and how it originated, but I don’t like that this treaty was signed skillfully avoiding discussions in the European Union and Lithuania,” Simasius wrote.

(Additional reporting by Gerard Bon in Paris, Jan Lopatka in Prague, Rob Strybel in Warsaw, Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Martin Santa in Bratislava and Ioana Patran in Bucharest, Nerijus Adomaitis in Vilnius, Zoran Radosavljevic in Zagreb, Krisztina Than in Budapest; Editing by Alison Williams)

A river dike also broke under intense water pressure near Kapitan Andreevo at the border with Turkey, officials said.

The cold snap has killed hundreds of people across Europe and temperatures in some countries plummeted to nearly minus 40C (minus 40F). Officials Tuesday warned of flooding when temperatures go up and snow melts.

Around 146 towns and villages in Romania were isolated with no road or train connections because of blizzards. Up to 174 villages had no electricity, the spokesman for Romania’s emergency department Alin Maghiar told Reuters.

Electricity was also cut off to 300 towns and villages in Bulgaria, roads were closed and several border checkpoints with Romania and Turkey were shut, the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry said more heavy snowfall was expected.

Melting snow had caused a dam wall to break and flood an entire village in southern Bulgaria Monday. Four people drowned and more than 50 were evacuated. Four more people died when their cars were swept away by high waters.

“It was terrifying,” Iliyan Todorov from the village of Biser told Trud daily. “We were warned that the tsunami was coming only five minutes before the wave came…We survived by a miracle.”

European Commissioner for Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva said “the worst is yet to come” after she visited Biser, which was worst hit by the flooding from the broken dam.

“The next two weeks may be really hard. The warmer weather will cause melting of the snow and the situation will most probably worsen,” private broadcaster bTV quoted her as saying.

ICE FORMS ON RIVERS

The Black Sea ports of Varna and Burgas have been closed due to strong winds and Romania’s main port of Constanta and other smaller ports were also shut down Tuesday.

Authorities in Serbia said they were preparing to use explosives to break ice on the rivers Ibar and Danube.

“An ice cap half a meter deep has formed on the Ibar near Kraljevo and there is a real danger that it could cause the river to overflow into the city,” said Predrag Maric, head of the Interior Ministry’s emergencies department.

He said 100 km (62 miles) of the Danube were freezing over and that it would also be mined.

Eleven people have died so far from the cold and snow in Serbia, with the latest victim a 62-year-old man found dead a kilometer from his home near Arilje in western Serbia and a woman killed by falling ice in the capital Belgrade.

In the central city of Kragujevac, authorities took inmates from a local jail to help clear snow, local media said.

To the south in Albania, the Kukes lake on the border with Kosovo – supplying a hydropower plant at Fierze – was frozen over for the first time in more than a decade, putting more pressure on already strained power supplies.

The cold weather has increased demand for gas in many European countries.

Italy took emergency measures Monday to deal with what it called critical shortages of Russian gas following the icy weather, while supplies to other members of the European Union mostly improved at the weekend but remained below normal.

Russia, which supplies about a quarter of Europe’s natural gas, reduced westward flows through pipelines across Ukraine last week citing greater domestic demand because of the extreme weather.

(Reporting by European Bureau, writing by Diana Abdallah)

Gas supplies to the European Union from Russia improved at the weekend but have not fully recovered, the European Commission said, as Italy convened a crisis committee to handle what it called critical shortages of Russian gas.

The dam wall broke and flooded the village in southern Bulgaria following heavy rain and snow melting. Four people drowned and more than 50 were evacuated, the Interior Ministry said. Four more people died when their cars were swept away by high waters.

“There are demolished houses and people in distress,” the ministry said in a statement.

Bulgaria warned neighboring Greece and Turkey that two other dams were expected to overflow later on Monday.

The cold snap has killed hundreds of people in Europe.

Nine died over the past 24 hours in Poland, bringing the total to 62 since the end of January. Temperatures fell to minus 24 Celsius at night in northeastern parts of the country.

In Croatia’s Dalmatia region, more than 100 villages were cut off by snow in the hinterland of the Adriatic coast, the emergency service centre said, and more snow was forecast.

Rescuers reached some of the Dalmatian villages on Sunday.

In one village, a woman gave birth in her house with the help of a neighbor, while a midwife from a nearby town gave them instructions by telephone.

“The baby girl is fine and beautiful and I’ll probably name her Snow White, given the circumstances,” the mother, Marta Glavota, told 24sata news website.

Ten people have died in Serbia so far, Montenegro reported its second death and Croatia said four people had died.

In Serbia, where 11,000 people remain cut off and a state of emergency has been declared, temperatures were forecast to stay below zero until mid-February.

Bosnia was paralyzed for the fourth day with snow blocking cities. Helicopters were delivering baby food and aid packages to isolated villages in eastern parts.

Farmers were having problems feeding cattle and the president of Bosnia’s farmers association, Vladimir Usorac, said milk production has dropped by 15 to 30 percent in the country.

“People are trying to get through and feed the cattle. It’s very difficult because of 2-metre snow and even 5-metre snow drifts so there is no access to cattle feed,” he said.

Bosnia recorded on Monday its eighth victim, after an 87-year- old woman died of hypothermia.

DUTCH SKATE

But in The Netherlands, suffering its coldest spell in 15 years, the snow was good news for some.

Ice skaters swarmed onto frozen ponds and canals and National television broadcaster NOS on Monday launched the daily “Ice News” to report about skating conditions.

Skaters were hoping for the right conditions to hold the Elfstedentocht – the famous Dutch “Eleven Cities Tour” which is a 200-km race on natural ice – for the first time since 1997.

In the Czech Republic, temperatures of minus 39.4C were recorded in the southwest along the German border. Meteorologists expect temperatures to fall more overnight.

At least 20 people have died in the Czech Republic, after two homeless people were reported dead overnight.

A burst pipe temporarily shut down an important western rail corridor between Prague and the German border town of Cheb.

The cold weather has increased demand for gas, and the European Commission said on Monday Bulgaria, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Greece were now receiving normal import levels, while supplies to Romania, Germany and Italy were increasing, but were not yet fully restored.

“It has become better over the weekend. We are in close contact with the member states,” EU energy spokeswoman Marlene Holzner told a regular briefing.

The Commission says the situation does not constitute a crisis, with countries being able to meet their needs using storage facilities and other market measures.

In Italy, where demand reached all-time highs following a sixth straight day of curtailed supply from Russia, Italian Industry Minister Corrado Passera described the situation as “critical.”

Russia’s Gazprom said on Saturday it had brought supplies to European countries back to normal after lowering them “for a few days,” but was unable to meet increased demand.

Unlike previous politically sensitive cutoffs of Russian gas, the six-day long reduction in supply to Europe stems from cold weather in Russia that has increased its domestic demand.

(Reporting by European Bureau; Writing by Diana Abdallah)

Second-placed Ivailo Kalfin, former foreign minister in the previous Socialist-led cabinet, won 47.4 percent after 99.9 percent of the votes cast in Sunday’s election were counted, data from the central electoral commission showed.

The victory will boost Prime Minister Boiko Borisov before the election in 2013 in the poorest European Union country, which is recovering from a prolonged recession that hit incomes and raised unemployment.

The narrow margin between the newly-elected president and Kalfin, however, signals that the Socialists are rebounding from the defeat they suffered in 2009 and will most likely be GERB’s major rival in the vote.

The campaign was marred by rallies against the Roma minority and corruption, highlighting GERB’s struggle to tackle graft and to kickstart the economy.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which monitored the election, reiterated concerns about suspected vote-buying and pressure on voters.

“It is … important to address shortcomings such as persistent allegations of vote-buying,” mission head Vadim Zhdanovich said in a statement.

“This should be properly investigated and long-standing recommendations should also be considered.”

Before the vote, Plevneliev was construction minister, and he became more popular than Borisov thanks to the speedy building of highways.

He has promised to fight graft in the public sector by moving services online and to work toward approving a bill authorizing the confiscation of illegally obtained assets.

“I became president of Bulgaria because in the last two years I worked for society and the people to see a new kind of politics,” Plevneliev told state broadcaster BNT, vowing to produce “concrete results.”

The 47-year-old engineer will replace outgoing president Georgi Parvanov, a Socialist, denying the opposition a high-profile, though largely ceremonial, position and the chance to veto bills or appointments initiated by the cabinet.

Plevneliev’s victory is also likely to strengthen Bulgaria’s EU and NATO integration.

Although he has said that Sofia will not pursue an anti-Russian policy, Plevneliev he has fallen short of openly supporting major Russian-backed energy projects like the South Stream gas pipeline or the planned 2,000 megawatt nuclear power plant Belene.

Alpha Research and Gallup International polls put Plevneliev comfortably ahead of Kalfin who got 45 percent backing — a victory which would strengthen Prime Minister Boiko Borisov’s grip on power in the European Union’s poorest state before 2013 general elections.

Plevneliev’s winning the highly ceremonial presidential role, would remove the possibility of government-initiated legislation or appointments being vetoed by Socialist President Georgi Parvanov who has often criticised the cabinet.

“GERB’s victory means stable governance,” said independent political analyst Rumiana Kolarova. “It is definitely good for Bulgaria, because the cabinet will not be blocked.”

Analysts also say Borisov is unlikely to risk potentially unpopular overhauls of areas such as healthcare and pensions but will keep tight fiscal discipline to protect the country’s financial stability and will carry on with large-scale infrastructure improvement.

He will also be keen to demonstrate Bulgaria’s progress by ensuring it joins the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone, from which it has been blocked due to corruption concerns, before the 2013 election.

GRAFT FIGHT

The campaign was blighted by rallies against the Roma minority and corruption highlighting the cabinet’s struggle to address unemployment, graft and the fragile position of ethnic minorities.

Former construction minister Plevneliev, 47, has pledged to step up efforts to fight corruption in the public sector and to work toward the approval of the bill authorizing widespread confiscation of illegally obtained assets.

“The cause in this election is very strong and important — speeding up Bulgaria’s development,” Plevneliev said after casting his ballot, as quoted by GERB in a statement.

Previously manager of a major building company, Plevneliev has also announced plans to set up councils to monitor economic policy, as well as the much-needed structural reforms.

“Plevneliev has a clear idea of what to do and how to do it,” said teacher Yanka Georgieva, 49. “He’s a successful businessman, a successful politician and it’s time to be a successful president.”

Turnout was about 40 percent at 1500 GMT, organizers said, and official results from the second round in the presidential race and the local elections held Sunday are expected on Monday.

Exit poll results showed GERB has also won the mayoral posts in the Black Sea city of Varna, the central city of Stara Zagora and the Danube town of Rousse among others.

(Additional reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Louise Ireland)

GERB’s candidate Rosen Plevneliev won 40 percent of the vote
in last week’s first round after a campaign blighted by rallies
against the Roma minority and corruption, highlighting problems
facing the European Union’s poorest state.

“I voted for Plevneliev, so that he can revamp the
country and we can live a better life,” said Galia Yordanova,
74.

Plevneliev, 47, previously manager of a major building
company is widely expected to beat Socialist Ivailo Kalfin.

A win for the former construction minister would remove the
possibility of government-initiated legislation or appointments
being vetoed by Socialist president Georgi Parvanov who has
often criticised the cabinet.

“The cause in this election is very strong and important –
speeding up Bulgaria’s development,” Plevneliev said after
casting his ballot, as quoted by GERB in a statement.

Analysts say Prime Minister Boiko Borisov is
unlikely to risk potentially unpopular overhauls of areas such
as healthcare and pensions but will focus on keeping tight
fiscal discipline and carrying on with large-scale
infrastructure improvement.

He will also be keen to demonstrate Bulgaria’s progress by
ensuring it joins the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone, from
which it has been blocked due to corruption concerns, before the
2013 election.

If elected, Plevneliev plans to set up councils to monitor
economic policy, as well as much-needed reform of the justice
system.

“Plevneliev has a clear idea of what to do and how to do it,”
said teacher Yanka Georgieva, 49. “He’s a successful
businessman, a successful politician and it’s time to be a
successful president.”

In the first round, GERB’s support was barely changed from
the 2009 parliamentary election despite its unfinished struggle
to put the recession-hit economy back on its feet and tackle
unemployment and widespread graft.

The Socialists fared better than in recent opinion polls,
indicating they are rebounding from a crushing defeat in 2009
and will most likely be GERB’s main general election challenger.

The nationalist Attack party failed to benefit from
nationwide anti-Roma protests and polled just 4 percent.

Exit polls are expected at about 1900 (1700 GMT) on Sunday
and official results on Monday.

Results will probably show the popularity of Borisov’s GERB party has fallen since it took power in 2009 as the campaign highlighted its struggle to address unemployment, graft and the fragile position of ethnic minorities.

Rallies against Roma and corruption rocked Bulgaria’s cities last month and a bomb last week blew up the car of a popular journalist, coinciding with a visit of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to Sofia.

But this is unlikely to have a significant impact on the final outcome and opinion polls show Borisov’s close ally Rosen Plevneliev is favourite to win the vote to become president, a largely ceremonial role.

Any unhappiness with GERB has so far not translated into support for the nationalist Attack party, which came second in the 2006 presidential race, but is now languishing on just 4 percent in polls.

“GERB has decided to use Plevneliev’s momentum and gain control over the presidential institution,” said Ivan Kotev, an analyst at consultancy Candole. “Overall, GERB is quietly gaining complete dominance over the entire political system.”

Borisov captured the imagination of many Bulgarians with his brash style and zeal for action, polling nearly 40 percent in 2009 on a reformist ticket and pledges to smash organised crime and widespread corruption.

His centre-right GERB party still tops polls, even though he has failed to deliver on many of those promises, and these elections are effectively a referendum on Borisov’s performance. Results will also indicate whether the opposition Socialists have found their feet again after their crushing defeat in 2009.

A win for Plevneliev — more popular personally than Borisov thanks to his road-building schemes in his prior role as construction minister — would deny the opposition Socialists a high profile platform. The outgoing president, Georgi Parvanov, is a Socialist.

It could give Borisov the confidence to push ahead with more reforms to put Bulgaria on a path to catch up with the rest of the EU, but analysts say he is more likely to sit tight, avoid alienating too many voters and cling on to power with reduced support in a 2013 parliamentary election.

He may be helped by economic recovery, though expected growth below 3 percent does little to narrow the gap to western Europe or even other former communist states like Poland and the Czech Republic.

If no candidate polls more than 50 percent on Sunday, there will be a run-off on October 30 between the top two, probably Plevneliev and former foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin, nominated by the Socialists.

Former EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, an independent who is expected to gain support from voters dissatisfied with the political establishment, is in third place.

TICKING TIME BOMBS

Borisov’s main achievement is a large-scale programme to upgrade the country’s worn out roads and rail links which inspired GERB’s campaign slogan, “We are Building Bulgaria.”

Construction works have failed to quicken economic recovery, however, and delays in overhauling the inefficient state services like healthcare and public administration will limit potential growth in coming years.

Another potential problem is exposure to debt-laden Greece, whose banks control nearly 30 percent of Bulgaria’s banking system.

“There are great many ripe, unsolved problems which will start going off like time bombs,” said Boryana Dimitrova from polling agency Alpha Research.

Analysts doubt Borisov will undertake the promised sweeping reforms even if his GERB party scores a big win, and will instead focus on sustaining tight fiscal discipline — which wins plenty of praise abroad but does little to improve the lot of Bulgarians, who have an average wage of 350 euros a month.

“Most probably GERB will carry on with what it has been doing so far … trying to preserve the budget and country’s overall state in survival mode in times of economic crisis,” said Marchela Abrasheva of Gallup International.

Such policies will hardly help Bulgaria get rid of the “EU’s poorest” tag but unless there is a drastic change for the worse, Borisov’s approach may yet make him the first leader to win a second consecutive term since the fall of communism in 1989.

(Additional reporting by Sam Cage in Bucharest; Editing by Matthew Jones)

The explosion caused no casualties but the incident is the latest blow to the centre-right government’s efforts to put an end to the climate of impunity in one of the most corrupt EU member states ahead of local and presidential polls on October 23.

Television journalist Sasho Dikov, known for his critical attitude to the cabinet, said he had never received any threats.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is monitoring the election, said violence against journalists was a growing problem in Bulgaria and called for a swift investigation.

“(I relate the blast) to individuals who think it can be a useful tool in the pre-election campaign,” Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov was quoted as saying by news agency Focus.

The ruling GERB party swept to power in 2009 promising to restore the rule of law and improve Bulgaria’s image but has yet to put any major figures behind bars.

It was the latest in a string of small explosions and outbreaks of civil unrest this year, which has highlighted GERB’s poor record in improving the economy and cracking down on organised crime.

“The attack is formally against the government, but it is in its essence a very bad signal for the country as a whole,” said sociologist Antoniy Galabov.

“(It is meant) to discredit the cabinet and create the feeling that it is not capable of dealing with its task.”

SERIES OF BLASTS

At the beginning of the year, a bomb exploded in front of the office of an opposition newspaper.

The government said at the time the blast, which took place hours before the visit of a group of EU Commissioners, was meant to disgrace the cabinet.

“Violence against journalists is an increasing problem in Bulgaria,” Dunja Mijatovic, OSCE representative on freedom of the media, said in a statement.

“The government must increase its efforts to remedy the situation by publicly refuting all attempts to silence journalists and urging law enforcement to bring the perpetrators and masterminds of these crimes to justice.”

In July, small explosions rocked the offices of two right-wing opposition parties the day before Brussels issued its annual report on Bulgaria’s progress in fighting endemic graft and organised crime.

Two men were arrested shortly after the blasts in front of the parties’ offices over suspicions they planted the explosives.

In a joint news conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov on Thursday, Barroso praised the government’s work and said Sofia needed to continue the fight against crime and to press ahead with the reform of its judiciary system.

(Additional reporting by Sam Cage; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

The explosion caused no casualties but the incident is the latest blow to the center-right government’s efforts to put an end to the climate of impunity in one of the most corrupt EU member states ahead of local and presidential polls on October 23.

Television journalist Sasho Dikov, known for his critical attitude to the cabinet, said he had never received any threats.

“(I relate the blast) to individuals who think it can be a useful tool in the pre-election campaign,” Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov was quoted as saying by news agency Focus.

The ruling GERB party swept to power in 2009 on promises to restore the rule of law and improve Bulgaria’s image but has yet to put any major figures behind bars.

It is the latest in a string of small explosions and civil unrest this year, which has highlighted GERB’s poor record in improving the economy and cracking down on organized crime.

“The attack is formally against the government, but it is in its essence a very bad signal for the country as a whole,” said sociologist Antoniy Galabov.

“(It is meant) to discredit the cabinet and create the feeling that it is not capable of dealing with its task.”

At the beginning of the year, a bomb exploded in front of the office of an opposition newspaper.

The government said at the time that the blast, which took place hours before the visit of a group of EU Commissioners, was meant to disgrace the cabinet.

In July, small explosions rocked the offices of two right-wing opposition parties the day before Brussels was to issue its annual report on Bulgaria’s progress in fighting endemic graft and organized crime.

Two men were arrested shortly after the blasts in front of the parties’ offices over suspicions they planted the explosives.

In a joint news conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov Thursday, Barroso praised the government’s work and said Sofia needed to continue the fight against crime and to press ahead with the reform of its judiciary system.

(Editing by Maria Golovnina)

Belief in fortune tellers and mysticism is widespread across Bulgaria and other Balkan countries and some 200 people gathered this week for the 100th anniversary of the birth of the internationally renowned seer whose real name was Vangelia Gushterova.

Supporters had little time for the age-old debate between Orthodox Christian authorities and psychics over supernatural powers, saying Vanga only wanted to help people and had real powers to see the future.

“She would tell you all you wanted to know,” said Maria Licheva, 76, from the nearby town of Petrich. “That’s why there were so many people (over the years).”

Blind from childhood, Granny Vanga, as she became known, was credited with predicting events such as the collapse of communism, the September 11 attacks and the sinking of Russia’s Kursk submarine.

Her fame spread far beyond the Balkans and local people say former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and assassinated Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were among numerous politicians who came to Rupite to consult with her.

Tucked away near the Greek border in what was once a volcano crater, Rupite — where Vanga met streams of visitors from all over the world — has become a monastery-like complex since her death 15 years ago.

It, along with Vanga’s house in Petrich which is now a museum, are the region’s major tourist spots.

SAINT OR SINNER?

Vanga was also said to have helped many ordinary people who had to wait for weeks to see her. She rarely refused to accept somebody and often scolded those who tried to jump the queue.

She sometimes sensed there were people with more serious conditions waiting for her and summoned them earlier to her house, usually telling the ill which doctors to see or childless women where to go for treatment.

Although many revere Vanga as a saint and she was a devoted Christian, earlier this year the Bulgarian Orthodox Church referred to Vanga and spiritual leader Petar Danov as ‘pseudo-icons’ in a message on its official website.

“She wasn’t a saint but she helped people,” said Boyana Kostadinova, 75, who lives opposite Vanga’s house.

“That’s all that matters.”

(Editing by Paul Casciato)