Angry Protesters Seal Off Parliament

Rampaging protesters trapped more than 100 legislators of Bulgaria’s ruling Socialist Party inside parliament, fighting with police who finally broke through their ranks by firing warning shots and swinging clubs. Tens of thousands of people mobbed parliament to demand new elections, angered by the Socialists’ inability to boost wages or to halt rocketing inflation and crime. At least 10 police officers, including one who suffered two broken legs, were hurt. At Sofia’s emergency hospital, nurse Nely Hristova said dozens of people had been treated, mainly for head injuries, but she denied a report that some demonstrators had been shot. The state-run BTA news agency reported that President-elect Peter Stoyanov--who will take office later this month--had arranged for negotiations between the Socialists and the opposition on early elections.