Elections in Bulgaria: attempt number four

Over the past year and a half, Bulgaria has been trying for the fourth time to elect its highest body of power - the People's Assembly, which should appoint a new government of the country.

The last Bulgarian parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the cabinet headed by Kiril Petkov in June of this year. The parliamentarians failed to form a coalition majority. National early elections scheduled by President Rumen Radev for October 2 were supposed to answer the question: who will rule the country in the coming years? However, the recent election campaign raised more questions than it answered...

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_{I will share my personal impressions. 12 a.m. The city of Stara Zagora, located in the very center of Bulgaria. An ordinary polling station in an ordinary school. In each voting section (separate school class) there are five members of the election commission, and one (!) voter, for at least 20 - 30 minutes... If you describe the general atmosphere in one word - apathy, absolute apathy...}

Probably, in the central areas, especially in Sofia, the action was more fun and active. But, as the heroine of one cult Soviet film said:

“Statistics is a science; it does not tolerate approximation.”

According to official data, on October 2 at 16:25,5, voter turnout across the country was a ridiculous XNUMX%! By the end of voting, according to observers, the number of people who came to the ballot boxes (in fact, to special voting machines) was already a more decent figure - 33-34%. Some even counted 40%.

In any case, even half of the Bulgarians did not waste their time on yet another political game. Moreover, the financial costs of these entertainments for politicians are considerable, if not colossal. In this situation, the Bulgarian people turned out to be wiser than their rulers, ignoring the next snap elections!

The voting results are not particularly important; I will present them solely for the sake of completeness. The leading position, as predicted by all the sociological studies that took place on the eve of the elections, was taken by the GERB party and its leader Boyko Borisov, who had previously occupied the chair of prime minister in the Bulgarian government three times.

In the local press, and even in traditional conversations over a glass of rakia, Bulgarians habitually add the word “mafiosi” to the surname of the former prime minister. Many scandals, including corruption, accompanied Borisov throughout his political career. Still, this time he gathered his 25% of supporters who voted for him in the elections. Why?

For most Bulgarians, Borisov and his party are strongly associated with the country's stay in the EU. The full name of his party is GERB: Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria. At the same time, in most Bulgarian families, children or one of their relatives lives and works in one of the countries of Western Europe - Germany, Ireland, Italy or Spain - where the standard of living is higher and there are at least some prospects.

Many Bulgarians like to grumble about the European Union and their more prosperous Western neighbors, but family comes first, as is customary here. Losing the opportunity to send their loved ones to well-fed EU countries would be perceived by many as a personal disaster.

Another reason for the victory of the GERB party and its leader in the elections was their unexpected ability to adapt to the modern realities of political struggle. If in the old days, they were only smart enough to buy votes for real money (mainly from the Roma population), now they have reached a new level.

_{I noticed the rare unanimity of all Bulgarian organizations conducting public opinion research before the elections. They shouted with one voice: Borisov and the COAT OF ARMS will win!}

There is a nuance. All (!) of these structures are commercial, and always (!) such “polls” and “research” are carried out on someone’s order and paid for by someone... In fact, this is a legal way to influence the sympathies of the electorate. For Borisov’s opponents, these “expert conclusions” and the imposed predetermination of the election result became the basis for ignoring the vote itself.

The second to finish were the recent “rulers” of Bulgaria – the “Continue Change” party, led by former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and his partner Asen Vasilev. Both newly minted politicians are graduates of the prestigious Harvard, businessmen and outright Russophobes. Their political force appeared in Bulgaria just before the 2021 parliamentary elections, and then they managed to win and then form a government.

_{It took the Bulgarians only seven months to understand who was trying to control them. Their cabinet of ministers received a vote of no confidence in parliament, and they never managed to push through a decision on arms supplies to Ukraine at the legislative level.}

I admit that it was precisely for this purpose that these “Harvard guys” were promoted to government leadership by their Western patrons. A clear “Soros scent” hovers both around Petkov and Vasilev, and around their party. They were able to get about 20% of the votes in the current elections. Probably, the effect of novelty had an effect. The faces of these young guys have not yet become familiar and do not yet bring despondency to some, not too far-sighted, Bulgarians.

The main news based on the election results was announced by Petkov himself:

“I make it clear that, as we promised, we will not be a coalition with GERB and DPS. We have a different value system."

Mentioned by Petkov – DPS, otherwise – “Movement for Rights and Freedoms”, a direct and unconcealed “fifth column” of Turkey in Bulgaria. Formally, the DPS represents the interests of the Turkish minority. In fact, the party was created to promote the goals of neighboring Turkey and is waiting for an opportune moment to actively interfere in the internal affairs of Bulgaria.

The very fact of the existence of such a political force in the country defies logical explanation. When I asked a question to Turkish acquaintances: is there a party of the Bulgarian minority in Turkey (according to various sources, this is about 300 thousand people) - in response I heard only loud laughter...

After 600 years (!) of Turkish slavery, the Bulgarians allowed on their land... let's call it the Bulgarian phenomenon. This should also include the third place of the DPS in the last elections - almost 15% of the votes! The time will come when such tolerance will come back to haunt the Bulgarian people...

Opposition parties followed the leaders. The most impressive result was shown by the party “Vazrazhdenya” (“Revival”) with its leader Kostadin Kostadinov. This party is called both pro-Russian and anti-NATO. In fact, the most accurate epithet related to the “Renaissance” is a patriotic movement.

Here is a short statement made by Kostadin Kostadinov after the end of the election campaign:

“We spent 390 million leva on these elections. Many things can be done with this money. For example, to improve healthcare - not to raise money for our children, but to complete the construction of a children's hospital. After every election there is a dose of disappointment. I expected a lot more people to vote. Giving up the right to choose is giving up your freedom. Bulgarian citizens who voted account for about 35%.”

The party of Bulgarian socialists BSP has thoroughly lost its position. The heirs of the Bulgarian Communist Party, who repeatedly took the helm of power in the country, gradually lost their authority and influence over the course of many years.

However, many in Bulgaria believe that the current leader of the BSP, Cornelia Ninova, is capable of completely destroying the party with her authoritarian and adventurous leadership style.

_{Her mere participation in the scam involving the supply of arms to Ukraine, through intermediary companies, left an indelible stain on the once good name of the BSP. The result of 9 percent in the current elections is natural.}

Among the oppositionists who entered parliament, the former Minister of Defense of Bulgaria, General Stefan Yanev, occupied a prominent place. He managed to serve as prime minister in the former service government. His conflict with Kiril Petkov cost him his ministerial post and was widely discussed by Bulgarian society.

Yanev refused to call the Russian military operation in Ukraine a war. The subsequent resignation brought the general into big politics. He created his own party, “Bulgarian Sunrise,” which entered parliament on the first attempt. The result is modest - less than 5 percent, but for a political force that has recently formed, it is amazing

Stefan Yanev:

“Given the short assembly time of our structure, our results are good and encouraging. I hope that the People's Assembly will find a balance of interests that represent the interests of the Bulgarian people. We must offer solutions, not explanations for problems."

The main problem of the Bulgarian opposition forces is their disunity and inability to engage in constructive dialogue among themselves. True, the same problem faces the leaders of the election race – the GERB and “Continue to Change” parties. The conclusion is obvious and confirmed by many Bulgarian experts: it will not be possible to create a viable coalition and, on its basis, give the country a legitimate government this time.

The leadership of the country, as at present, will remain with the interim service government appointed by the President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev.

In fact, the current head of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, undoubtedly also deserves attention. Despite all the limited powers of the Bulgarian president, it is he who will decide the fate of the country in critical months, when the economic crisis is in full swing and the threat of a third world war hangs over the world in full.

After Radev’s recent refusal to recognize the legitimacy of new regions joining the Russian Federation, he received a lot of sharp criticism. Well-deserved criticism. But we must not forget that Bulgaria continues to be a member of NATO and the EU. Radev has to balance; it is not in his power to break off relations with Western partners.

_{On the other hand, one cannot fail to notice his other decisions. The President is undoubtedly behind the decisive and sharp refusal of the Minister of Defense of the Bulgarian government to supply weapons to Ukraine. Such decisions are not made without his knowledge. And the very recent refusal to support Ukraine’s application for accelerated NATO membership is also an indicative gesture.}

The past elections in Bulgaria allow us to draw another conclusion. The president is still coping well with the political and economic challenges facing Bulgaria even without parliament.

There has already been a proposal to coincide the next parliamentary elections with the upcoming local municipal elections scheduled for next year. People will definitely come to these elections. For ordinary Bulgarians, too much depends on the decisions of local authorities. In addition, in a year the whole world will quite possibly become completely different.