Protests in Bulgaria have attracted significant media attention this year and have many inside Bulgaria and across Europe hoping that this democratic laggard is undergoing a seismic shift in its political system. A former Soviet satellite, the country’s transition to democracy and a market economy after the collapse of communism has been particularly rough and standards of living have risen relatively slowly. The country joined the European Union in 2007 with neighbouring Romania, three years after the ‘fifth wave’ of enlargement that marked the accension of seven other former Eastern bloc countries, because of slower progress in judicial and political reform and the perisistence of organised crime in the country among other worries.
The country of seven million has remained the EU’s poorest member with an average monthly salary of just 400 euros. Politics over the past decade have been more stable than the tumultuous period following its democratic transition. A colourful series of prime ministers, including the country’s exiled king and his body guard, have pushed the country in the right direction, nevertheless, the political system continues to be wracked by corruption. Many have argued that the polticial reforms pushed through in the run-up to Bulgaria’s accesion to the EU were cosmetic, changing little and leaving behind an entrenched and corrupt elite.
Earlier this year, Bulgarians took to the street to protest against high electricity and hot water bills resulting from monopoly and corruption in the utilities sector. The protests soon morphed into a nation-wide, non-partisan movement with a much broader set of demands. Fed up with corruption and atrophy in the country’s political system, hundreds of thousands of protestors across the country are again pouring into the streets on a dily basis. The protests, and particularly several self-immolations, attracted significant international attention against the backdrop of popular protests igniting in the Middle East and around the world. The movement obtained the resignation of Boyko Borisov’s (body guard to former king and prime minister) government on 20 February 2013.
Now, the newly installed socialist government led by Prime Minister Plamen Oresharki, is facing similar demands as tens of thousands protest daily in the capital, Sophia, and around the country. This time, ourtage was sparked in mid-June when the parliament appointed Delyan Peevski as the head of the State Agency for National Security. Mr. Peevski is a media mogul with close ties to the government through banks owned by his family. Mr. Peevski quickly dropped his bid following the vote as outrage grew, propelled by social media. Typically young and well-educated, protestors are disillusioned with the perisistence of corruption in a political class viewed as opaque, inept and incapable of reform. Generally peaceful aside from some isolated clashes with riot police, the demonstrations have become the longest-standing in the country since Bulgaria’s democtratic transition in 1990.
This year’s protests have many hoping that Bulgaria’s civil society will provide the momentum to propel the country from laggard to “normal EU country”. Protestors are extremely aware of the difficulties the country is facing and convinced of where the problem lies. The persistence of protests show they are not willing to forgive and forget. Hopefully this pressure will translate into much needed reform.
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