The Bulgarian parliament on November 13 banned broadcasts of television advertisements during peak evening viewing hours, overruling a veto imposed by President Petar Stoyanov on a controversial media law, the European Journalism Centre (EJC) reported.

The ban will be effective between 7 and 10 p.m. The article was the only one overruled by parliament among several that Stoyanov had vetoed.

The media law was passed by the ruling center-right Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), which has a majority in parliament. Opposition groups rejected the law, viewing it as an attempt to impose UDF control over the media, EJC reported. According to мTransitions,о a monthly publication of the Institute for Journalism in Transition, Stoyanov said the measure would allow government influence on the media and promote ethnic tensions, and he vetoed the long-pending legislation in late September. Saying that he мcould not find the logic promoting the deputies to vote for this text,о he objected to the proposalнs imposition of a radio and television tax on all households regardless of whether a television set was actually owned; the lawнs stipulation that heads of the media council be appointed by the government; a requirement that national radio and television be broadcast only in Bulgarian, ignoring the countryнs 800,000 ethnic Turks; and the ban on prime-time advertising.

The ban has caused concern among major foreign and local advertisers who have already allocated large budgets for commercials on Bulgariaнs two state television channels. Television officials said in newspaper interviews that they would change broadcast times for the most popular programs, which attract the largest number of viewers and the biggest sponsors, EJC said.