Bulgaria in the shadows of political crisis

By Ernesto Hernandez Lacher

Journalist at the International Newsroom in Prensa Latina

The Social Democratic Party accepted the commission from the head of state, Roman Radev, through its parliamentary spokesperson, Georgy Svilinsky, who visited the president accompanied by other leaders in the formation, including its leader, Cornelia Ninova.

“We will do everything in our power to form the government because the state demands calm and certainty,” the spokesman was quoted as saying by national newspapers. Svylensk stated that after receiving the assignment from the president, who will be the prime minister will be discussed later.

PSB hopes to add four parties to a coalition that will include democratic Bulgaria, there is such a people and we continue to change, outgoing Prime Minister Kirill Petkov.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and Citizens for European Development in Bulgaria (GERB), headed by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, was excluded from the options for the new government coalition.

The protests against Borisov’s chief executive in July 2020 precipitated his downfall and spawned the impoverishment crisis in today’s poorest country in the European Union. At that time, the demonstrators accused the leader of the Rally and Prosecutor General Ivan Gishev of serving the interests of the mafia, not the citizens.

But as a background, there was a strong political tension between the executive branch and the president, close to the then socialist opposition, to which was added the population’s almost complete distrust of the state and the political system, which they considered to be afflicted with corruption. Of the accusations against Borisov.

That year, there were three general elections in between, in addition to the health crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic marked by the rise of the anti-vaccine movement.

The rise and decline of Kirill Petkov

After a year of instability, protests and Covid-19, the National Assembly (Parliament) approved the then emerging executive of the aforementioned four parties led by Kirill Petkov in mid-December.

134 deputies from the coalition voted in favor of their prime minister, 104 deputies opposed it, and two did not attend the referendum.

Among the priorities were declared zero tolerance for corruption, the fight against poverty, economic growth, and the development of the country, indicating a divorce with the former executive branch administration.

Petkov promised his voters “absolute transparency of every public currency spent” and rule of law over immunity, which analysts saw as a clear reference to Borisov.

He urged residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and described this option as the only way to avoid locking up children and adults, according to national newspapers reports. The epidemic affected more than 1,189,000 people here and caused more than 37,000 deaths, according to statistics from health authorities.

To overcome the public’s mistrust of health institutions, Petkov chose Professor of Virology Radka Argirova to oversee the immunization programme.

At that time, the Bulgarian political scientist Antoinita Hristova considered that the ruler should focus his state on the search for a solution to the health, economic and social crisis, but he expected a short life of the executive branch due to ideological differences between the four partners, an eventual fact.

On the other hand, his foreign policy actions were so in line with the positions of NATO and the European Union, that he turned his back on Russia in the midst of the war in Ukraine and joined the situation. Western sanctions against this Eurasian country.

The latest action by Sofia executives against Moscow was the expulsion of 70 Russian diplomats on espionage charges, to which the Kremlin responded with a warning of a possible severance of diplomatic relations.

Petkov said then that Bulgaria and the Russian Federation have a long-standing relationship of great importance to the fate of the country, adding: “We respect the Russian people and value our cultural, historical, social and economic ties.”

But these statements did not prevent Radev’s Social Democratic Party from withdrawing its political support at a time when it was trying to form a new government, after losing a motion of no confidence in the National Assembly.

In addition, one of the coalition partners, Exists Such a People, decided in June to withdraw its four ministers, after accusing Petkov of mismanagement of public money and of wanting to lift the Bulgarian veto at the beginning of the accession negotiations with the European Union. from neighboring North Macedonia.

The two countries disagree about a common past and Sofia demands more guarantees of ethnic Bulgarian rights from her counterpart.

After the fall of the Petkov government, the coalition that now governs on a temporary basis occupies only 109 of the 240 seats in the unicameral legislature.

In this scenario, the dismissal of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nikola Menchev, also occurred due to alleged violations of the Constitution and the internal rules of Parliament.

With regard to the Bulgarian Socialist Party, to which President Roman Radev belongs, it now has the responsibility to bring political stability to the southeastern European country, an issue that appears difficult after more than two years of crisis, demonstrations and distrust of institutions. .

arp / to / ehl