DOCSLIB.ORG

B a R O M E T E R Bulgaria’S Political Parties Year 14, Issue 3, July - October 2014

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
B a R O M E T E R Bulgaria’S Political Parties Year 14, Issue 3, July - October 2014 Georgi Karasimeonov (Ed.) B A R O M E T E R Bulgaria’s Political Parties Year 14, Issue 3, July - October 2014 The early parliamentary elections held on 5 October resulted in eight parties and coali- tions entering in parliament. 32.6% of the electorate voted for GERB, 15.29% for the coalition “BSP - Left Bulgaria,” 14.91% of voters supported DPS, 8.91% the Reformists’ Block, and 7.29% the Patriotic Front. The National Assembly will also include Bulgaria Uncensored, which won 5.65% of the electoral vote, Ataka - with 4.54% and ABC - with 4.18%. These results mean a severe fragmentation of Parliament and will make negotia- tions on forming the next government very difficult. GERB won the elections with a convincing lead over BSP, but the result is far below expectations in terms of the number of MPs. Te party will have below 90 MPs, which makes it impossible to form a center-right coalition with the participation of the Re- formists’ Block alone. Thus, GERB will have to seek other coalition partners. The par- ty left the door open for all parties, except Ataka and Bulgaria Uncensored. Radan Kanev, from the Reformers, declared that he would not support a GERB cabinet with Borisov as Prime Minister. Perhaps this particular issue will become the cornerstone for forming a government. BSP suffered a severe defeat. The party received about half a million votes - its weakest result in parliamentary elections so far. This raises questions about the need for urgent reforms and changes within the party. ABC’s entry into the National Assembly breaks the recent monopoly of BSP over the political space to the left and shows that the Left is in a new phase of its development. Whether this new path will be one of division and fragmentation or one of unification will depend entirely on the Left’s leaders. Imprint Orders All texts are available online Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung www.fes.bg 97, Knjaz Boris I St. Commercial use of all media The views expressed in this publication published by the Friedrich- are not necessarily those of the Responsible: Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung or of the Regine Schubert, Director not permitted without the organization for which the author works. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung written consent of the FES. Office Bulgaria Analyses B AROMETE R 3/2014 1 CONTENTS 1. The Political Status Quo ...........................................................................................................................2 2. Current Status and Development of the Party System ...............................................................................6 2.1. Citizens for European Development in Bulgaria (GERB) ..........................................................................6 2.2. Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) ................................................................................................................7 2.3. Movement for Rights and Freedom (DPS) ..............................................................................................9 2.4. Bulgaria Uncensored ...........................................................................................................................10 2.5. The Reformists’ Block ..........................................................................................................................11 2.6. Ataka ..................................................................................................................................................13 3. Public Opinion….. ..................................................................................................................................13 4. Main Conclusions and Forecasts….. .......................................................................................................14 2 B AROMETE R 3/2014 1. The Political Status Quo remains closed, as BNB has extended the deadline for opening it twice already. BNB’s Over the past three months the political latest decision envisages that the bank will status quo has been largely determined by remain under conservatorship until 20 No- two main themes - the election campaign vember. The National Bank’s management and the crisis around the Corporate Com- became the object of serious criticism, due mercial Bank (CCB). The country’s banking to the CCB crisis. Many financial experts system faced a serious challenge when, at blamed the central bank’s Governor Ivan the end of June, shortly after the CCB was Iskrov and its entire board for what hap- placed into conservatorship, the third-larg- pened to CCB and for the lack of supervi- est bank in Bulgaria - First Investment Bank sion. Just two weeks before the CCB was (FIB) fell into a temporary liquidity crisis. closed, BNB allowed its majority owner, This happened after the bank‘s depositors Tsvetan Vasilev to acquire Credit Agricole started a run on the bank, giving in to pan- Bank - now Commercial Bank Victoria. It ic caused by rumors that it had problems, was announced that the buyer had excel- which spread through the media and social lent financial indicators. Once CCB and networks. The bank announced that it had Commercial Bank Victoria were placed un- fallen victim to an unprecedented criminal der conservatorship, Ivan Iskrov suggested attack, that BGN 800 million had been with- that CCB’s good assets be transferred to drawn within a single day and consequently Commercial Bank Victoria, which could be requested support from the Bulgarian Na- rehabilitated, while all bad loans remained tional Bank (BNB). FIB’s situation led to ur- in CCB, which would then be made bank- gent political talks at the President’s Office rupt. This decision, however, did not receive with the participation of all major political the support of the main political parties. parties in the country and BNB Governor Moreover, many experts and politicians Ivan Iskrov in search of solutions to tackle saw in this proposal an attempt by certain the crisis. Participants in the talks issued economic circles to acquire the bank’s as- a joint statement in which they declared sets at a low price. Ivan Iskrov and the Man- that the banking system was stable and agement Board of the BNB were further that the State would do all that was nec- accused of not providing liquidity support essary to support the bank, which was fac- to CCB, as they had done for FIB, and not ing temporary difficulties. What happened allowing its shareholders to rehabilitate the to FIB was described as a criminal attack, bank, as required by law. Many of the main punishable to the fullest extent of the law. political parties demanded Iskrov’s resigna- The declaration calmed citizens and queues tion and it is likely to become fact once a at the bank’s branches were gone the next new Parliament is formed, following the day. FIB received help from the State, with October elections. the approval of the European Commission, For four months now there is still no fi- whereby the amount must be repaid within nal report on the true state of the CCB. The a year and a half after the preparation of a conservators’ interim report, published in restructuring plan. late July, shows that the bank had a good Four months later, the problem with capital adequacy ratio as of 30 June this CCB continues to be unresolved. The bank year, and its assets exceeded the liabilities. B AROMETE R 3/2014 3 This prompted different interpretations by GERB and DPS for advocating a „bank hol- different economic analysts and politicians iday“ during the talks at the President’s - on one hand, that the bank was being Office, following the crisis around First In- drained and that it resembled a pyramid, vestment Bank, which had envisaged a lim- and on the other hand, that it was being itation of banking transactions for a certain attacked due to economic interests related period of time. to Delyan Peevski. In late September, the European Com- The Prosecutor’s Office filed charges mission opened an infringement procedure against the main cashier and the executive against Bulgaria for failing to transpose a director of the CCB for draining BGN 206 European Directive, pursuant to which de- million. Prosecutors also sought the arrest positors with deposits of up to EUR 100,000 of the majority owner Tsvetan Vasilev, for are entitled to receive their funds within 20 whom Interpol announced an internation- days, provided that the bank is placed un- al search. The location of CCB’s owner was der special supervision. According to the unclear for nearly two months. In mid-Sep- current Bulgarian Law on Bank Deposit tember, he surrendered to Serbian author- Guarantee, guaranteed deposits are pay- ities and is now subject to an extradition able within two months and only provided procedure. that the respective bank’s license has been Although his whereabouts were un- revoked. Currently, the CCB is placed un- clear, Tsvetan Vasilev sent several letters to der conservatorship, but its license has not the media, in which he accused a number been revoked, which is why people cannot of state institutions – BNB’s Governor, the receive their deposits guaranteed by law. Prosecution and Oresharski’s government – On 5 August, President Rossen Plevne- of serving the interests of individuals who liev issued a decree appointing an interim were trying to acquire the bank’s assets. government that would operate until the Accusations that, through their initial next National Assembly formed a new actions against Tsvetan Vasilev’s companies, cabinet. George Bliznashki, a professor prosecutors had contributed to
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Democratic Satisfaction, Political Knowledge and the Acceptance of Clientelism in a New Democracy
    Democratization ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/fdem20 Dissatisfied, uninformed or both? Democratic satisfaction, political knowledge and the acceptance of clientelism in a new democracy Sergiu Gherghina, Inga Saikkonen & Petar Bankov To cite this article: Sergiu Gherghina, Inga Saikkonen & Petar Bankov (2021): Dissatisfied, uninformed or both? Democratic satisfaction, political knowledge and the acceptance of clientelism in a new democracy, Democratization, DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2021.1947250 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2021.1947250 © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Published online: 07 Jul 2021. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=fdem20 DEMOCRATIZATION https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2021.1947250 RESEARCH ARTICLE Dissatisfied, uninformed or both? Democratic satisfaction, political knowledge and the acceptance of clientelism in a new democracy Sergiu Gherghina a, Inga Saikkonen b and Petar Bankov a aDepartment of Politics and International Relations, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; bSocial Science Research Institute, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland ABSTRACT In many countries, voters are targeted with clientelistic and programmatic electoral offers. Existing research explores the demand side of clientelism, but we still know very little about what determines voters’ acceptance of clientelistic and programmatic electoral offers. This article builds a novel theoretical framework on the role that democratic dissatisfaction and political knowledge play in shaping voters’ acceptance of different types of electoral offers. We test the implications of the theory with a survey experiment conducted after the 2019 local elections in Bulgaria.
    [Show full text]
  • Download/Print the Study in PDF Format
    GENERAL ELECTION IN GREECE 7th July 2019 European New Democracy is the favourite in the Elections monitor Greek general election of 7th July Corinne Deloy On 26th May, just a few hours after the announcement of the results of the European, regional and local elections held in Greece, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (Coalition of the Radical Left, SYRIZA), whose party came second to the main opposition party, New Analysis Democracy (ND), declared: “I cannot ignore this result. It is for the people to decide and I am therefore going to request the organisation of an early general election”. Organisation of an early general election (3 months’ early) surprised some observers of Greek political life who thought that the head of government would call on compatriots to vote as late as possible to allow the country’s position to improve as much as possible. New Democracy won in the European elections with 33.12% of the vote, ahead of SYRIZA, with 23.76%. The Movement for Change (Kinima allagis, KINAL), the left-wing opposition party which includes the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), the Social Democrats Movement (KIDISO), the River (To Potami) and the Democratic Left (DIMAR), collected 7.72% of the vote and the Greek Communist Party (KKE), 5.35%. Alexis Tsipras had made these elections a referendum Costas Bakoyannis (ND), the new mayor of Athens, on the action of his government. “We are not voting belongs to a political dynasty: he is the son of Dora for a new government, but it is clear that this vote is Bakoyannis, former Minister of Culture (1992-1993) not without consequence.
    [Show full text]
  • The Magnitsky Law and the Rico
    SSRG International Journal of Economics and Management Studies Volume 8 Issue 7, 6-20, July, 2021 ISSN: 2393 – 9125 /doi:10.14445/23939125/IJEMS-V8I7P102 © 2021 Seventh Sense Research Group® The Magnitsky Law and The Rico Law - The Guarantee For The Fight Against Corruption And The Mafia In Bulgaria And The European Union - The Example of The Attempts To Steal Private Land Through Concession, Theft of Land And Theft of Land Through State Structures Lord Prof. PhD PhD Momtchil Dobrev-Halachev Scientific Research Institute Dobrev & Halachev.JSC., Sofia.Bulgaria Received Date: 17 May 2021 Revised Date: 22 June 2021 Accepted Date: 05 July 2021 Abstract - Lord prof PhD PhD Momtchil Dobrev- The fight against the mafia and corruption in Bulgaria Halachev and Prof. Mariola Garibova-DObreva and in the European Commission and the European Union developed 2006 “Theory of degree of democracy” and does not yield results because the mafia is at the highest “Theory of degree of justice / injustice /” based on their state and European level and does what it wants. This practice in court, prosecutor's office, state. Prof. Momchil mafia holds courts, prosecutors and all kinds of state Dobrev has been creating Theory of Corruption, "Theory institutions and the latter carry out its orders. of the Mafia," Theory of Mafia "," Financial Banking Resource Technological Mafia Materialism "since 2003" 1.1 Introduce the Problem The problem with the mafia and corruption in Bulgaria Keywords - Crise, mafia, corruption, Magnitsky law, and in the European Union and the European Commission RICO law, finance. is huge. We have repeatedly applied evidence of the scale .
    [Show full text]
  • Radical Closure
    Closure adical Closur R e adical R R adical 1 Radical Closure Closure Radical Closure Radical Closure Jalal Toufic Jalal Toufic,Radical-Closure Artist with Bandaged Sense Organ (a Tribute to Van Gogh), no. 1, 2020 Jalal Toufic 2 3 Radical Closure The book includes four of my conceptual artworks. They are based This book is composed of the following previously published texts on Van Gogh’s two paintings Wheatfield with Crows (1889) and Self- on radical closure: “Radical Closure,” in Over-Sensitivity, 2nd edition Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889). The one on the front cover is (Forthcoming Books, 2009); “First Aid, Second Growth, Third Radical-Closure Artist with Bandaged Sense Organ (After Van Gogh’s Degree, Fourth World, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Sense,” “Radical- “Wheatfield with Crows” and “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear”), 2020; Closure Artist with Bandaged Sense Organ,” “Copyright Free Farm the one that serves as the frontispiece is Radical-Closure Artist with Road,” and pp. 104–105 and 211–214 in Forthcoming, 2nd edition Bandaged Sense Organ (a Tribute to Van Gogh), no. 1, 2020; the one (Berlin: e-flux journal-Sternberg Press, 2014); pp. 82–92 in Distracted, on the last page is Radical-Closure Artist with Bandaged Sense Organ 2nd edition (Berkeley, CA: Tuumba Press, 2003); “Verbatim,” in What (a Tribute to Van Gogh), no. 2, 2020; and the one on the back cover Was I Thinking? (Berlin: e-flux journal-Sternberg Press, 2017); and is Radical-Closure Artist with Bandaged Sense Organ (After Van Gogh’s pp. 88–96 in Postscripts (Stockholm: Moderna Museet; Amsterdam: “Wheatfield with Crows” and “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear”), 2018.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulgaria 2020 International Religious Freedom Report
    BULGARIA 2020 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary The constitution provides for freedom of religion and conscience. Religious groups may worship without registering, but registered groups receive benefits. The constitution recognizes Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the country’s “traditional” religion, and the law exempts the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) from registration. In December, the Plovdiv Appellate Court began hearing an appeal by 14 Romani Muslims convicted in 2019 of spreading Salafi Islam, among other charges. Muslim leaders again said several municipalities denied permission to build new or rehabilitate existing religious facilities. The Evangelical Alliance and some other religious groups stated the government did not apply COVID-19 restrictions on religious groups equally, favoring the BOC. The European Court of Human Rights stopped the deportation of three Uyghur Muslims to China. In February, a Shumen court ruled the municipality’s ordinance restricting proselytizing was unconstitutional. A parliamentarian and member of the governing political coalition criticized the ruling, which was being appealed, calling Jehovah’s Witnesses a “dangerous sect.” In February, the Supreme Administrative Court upheld the Sofia mayor’s ban on the annual march honoring Hristo Lukov, leader of a pro-Nazi organization in the 1940s, restricting the event to laying flowers at Lukov’s plaque. The academy of sciences published a report, backed by several government ministries, denying the World War II-era government had sent Jews to forced labor camps but instead had tried to save them from the Nazis. The Jewish nongovernmental organization (NGO) Shalom reported death threats, increased incidents of anti-Semitic hate speech in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and periodic vandalism of Jewish cemeteries and monuments.
    [Show full text]
  • Dimensions and Alignments in European Union Politics: Cognitive Constraints and Partisan Responses
    Working Paper Series in European Studies Volume 1, Number 3 Dimensions and Alignments in European Union Politics: Cognitive Constraints and Partisan Responses DR. SIMON HIX DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE Houghton Street London, WC2A 2AE United Kingdom ([email protected]) EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE: GILLES BOUSQUET KEITH COHEN COLLEEN DUNLAVY ANDREAS KAZAMIAS LEON LINDBERG ELAINE MARKS ANNE MINER ROBERT OSTERGREN MARK POLLACK GREGORY SHAFFER MARC SILBERMAN JONATHAN ZEITLIN Copyright © 1998 All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reproduced in any form without permission of the author. European Studies Program, International Institute, University of Wisconsin--Madison Madison, Wisconsin http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/eur/ 1 Dimensions and Alignments in European Union Politics: Cognitive Constraints and Partisan Responses Simon Hix Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom Abstract As the European Union (EU) has evolved, the study agenda has shifted from ‘European integration’ to ‘EU politics’. Missing from this new agenda, however, is an understanding of the ‘cognitive constraints’ on actors, and how actors respond: i.e. the shape of the EU ‘political space’ and the location of social groups and competition between actors within this space. The article develops a theoretical framework for understanding the shape of the EU political space (the interaction between an Integration-Independence and a Left-Right dimension and the location of class and sectoral groups within this map), and tests this framework on the policy positions of the Socialist, Christian Democrat and Liberal party leaders between 1976 and 1994 (using the techniques of the ECPR Party Manifestos Group Project).
    [Show full text]
  • Ms Mairead Mcguinness European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and the Capital Markets Union Mr
    TO: Ms Mairead McGuinness European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and the Capital Markets Union Mr Valdis Dombrovskis European Commission Executive Vice-President for An Economy that Works for People CC: Mr Frans Timmermans European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Ms Kadri Simson European Commissioner for Energy Brussels, 13 April 2021 Dear Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis, Dear Commissioner McGuinness, We are convinced that the Taxonomy Regulation is crucial for the European Union to achieve both the new greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050. Additionally, the Regulation should help strengthening the European Union’s strategic resilience and global economic competitiveness, maintaining its energy security and affordability, boosting growth and job creation and supporting a just and inclusive energy transition that leaves nobody behind. However, to what extent the Taxonomy Regulation will ultimately meet these expectations depends primarily on the technical screening criteria (TSC) defined in the Delegated Act on climate change mitigation and adaptation. We understand the European Commission will publish it later this month, whereupon the European Parliament may make full use of its scrutinizing prerogatives under Article 290 TFEU. In advance of its publication, we would like to share with you some of our major concerns regarding the revised draft version of this delegated act. Firstly, it is indispensable that the Taxonomy Regulation takes into account transition at the energy system level and supports the most cost-efficient decarbonisation pathway for each Member State in line with the principle of technology neutrality. In this context, it is key to acknowledge the role of gaseous fuels.
    [Show full text]
  • The London School of Economics and Political Science German Print Media Coverage in the Bosnia and Kosovo Wars of the 1990S Marg
    1 The London School of Economics and Political Science German Print Media Coverage in the Bosnia and Kosovo Wars of the 1990s Margit Viola Wunsch A thesis submitted to the Department of International History of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, November 2012 2 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. Abstract This is a novel study of the German press’ visual and textual coverage of the wars in Bosnia (1992-95) and Kosovo (1998-99). Key moments have been selected and analysed from both wars using a broad range of publications ranging from extreme-right to extreme-left and including broadsheets, a tabloid and a news-magazine, key moments have been selected from both wars. Two sections with parallel chapters form the core of the thesis. The first deals with the war in Bosnia and the second the conflict in Kosovo. Each section contains one chapter on the initial phase of the conflict, one chapter on an important atrocity – namely the Srebrenica Massacre in Bosnia and the Račak incident in Kosovo – and lastly a chapter each on the international involvement which ended the immediate violence.
    [Show full text]
  • State of Populism in Europe
    2018 State of Populism in Europe The past few years have seen a surge in the public support of populist, Eurosceptical and radical parties throughout almost the entire European Union. In several countries, their popularity matches or even exceeds the level of public support of the centre-left. Even though the centre-left parties, think tanks and researchers are aware of this challenge, there is still more OF POPULISM IN EUROPE – 2018 STATE that could be done in this fi eld. There is occasional research on individual populist parties in some countries, but there is no regular overview – updated every year – how the popularity of populist parties changes in the EU Member States, where new parties appear and old ones disappear. That is the reason why FEPS and Policy Solutions have launched this series of yearbooks, entitled “State of Populism in Europe”. *** FEPS is the fi rst progressive political foundation established at the European level. Created in 2007 and co-fi nanced by the European Parliament, it aims at establishing an intellectual crossroad between social democracy and the European project. Policy Solutions is a progressive political research institute based in Budapest. Among the pre-eminent areas of its research are the investigation of how the quality of democracy evolves, the analysis of factors driving populism, and election research. Contributors : Tamás BOROS, Maria FREITAS, Gergely LAKI, Ernst STETTER STATE OF POPULISM Tamás BOROS IN EUROPE Maria FREITAS • This book is edited by FEPS with the fi nancial support of the European
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Outsider Politics: Radicalism
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Outsider politics : Radicalism as a Political Strategy in Western Europe and Latin America A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science by Verónica Hoyo Committee in charge: Professor William Chandler, Chair Professor Matthew Shugart, Co-Chair Professor Akos Rona-Tas Professor Sebastian Saiegh Professor Kaare Strom 2010 Copyright Verónica Hoyo, 2010 All rights reserved. The Dissertation of Verónica Hoyo is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Co-Chair Chair University of California, San Diego 2010 iii DEDICATION A mis padres, Irma y Gonzalo, y a mi hermana Irma. Gracias por ser fuente constante de amor, inspiración y apoyo incondicional. Esto nunca hubiera sido posible sin ustedes. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page.............................................................................................................. iii Dedication..................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents.......................................................................................................... v List of Abbreviations...................................................................................................... vi List of Tables................................................................................................................... xii List of Graphs................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Zornitsa Markova the KTB STATE
    Zornitsa Markova THE KTB STATE Sofia, 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or express written consent from Iztok-Zapad Publishing House. transmitted in any form or by any means without first obtaining © Zornitsa Markova, 2017 © Iztok-Zapad Publishing House, 2017 ISBN 978-619-01-0094-2 zornitsa markova THE KTB STATE CHRONICLE OF THE LARGEST BANK FAILURE IN BULGARIA — THE WORKINGS OF A CAPTURED STATE THAT SOLD OUT THE PUBLIC INTEREST FOR PRIVATE EXPEDIENCY CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS / 12 EDITOR’S FOREWORD / 13 SUMMARY / 15 READER’S GUIDE TO THE INVESTIGATION / 21 1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND / 23 DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BULGARIAN BANKING SECTOR THAT PRE-DATE KTB ..........................................................25 Headed for a Banking Crisis .................................................................................................. 26 Scores of Banks Close Their Doors................................................................................... 29 First Private Bank — Backed by the Powerful, Favoured by the Government ......................................................... 33 Criminal Syndicates and Their Banks — the Birth of a State within the State ...........................................................................35 A Post-Crisis Change of Players ..........................................................................................37 A FRESH START FOR THE FLEDGLING KTB ..................................................... 40 KTB SALE ..........................................................................................................................................42
    [Show full text]
  • Far from Stability: the Post-Election Landscape in Bulgaria Dariusz Kałan
    No. 50 (503), 15 May 2013 © PISM Editors: Marcin Zaborowski (Editor-in-Chief) . Katarzyna Staniewska (Managing Editor) Jarosław Ćwiek-Karpowicz . Artur Gradziuk . Piotr Kościński Roderick Parkes . Marcin Terlikowski . Beata Wojna Far from Stability: The Post-Election Landscape in Bulgaria Dariusz Kałan Early parliamentary elections not only will not help restore political stability in Bulgaria but also could further deepen the chaos because of the high dispersion of votes and the expected difficulties with creating a coalition. For a country immersed in crisis, maintaining the post-election stalemate is particularly not beneficial because of the deteriorating economic situation and growing public pressure. Regardless of which party will return to power, one should not expect a significant improvement in Bulgaria’s image in the EU or a positive settlement of the most important issues, including the country’s rapid accession to the Schengen area. Although the winner of the early parliamentary elections of 12 May was the centre-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB, 30% of votes), for all four parties that exceeded the 4% electoral threshold, the results can be seen as satisfactory. GERB, the ruling party in 2009–2013, won for the second time in a row during unfavourable economic and social situations. The similar support for the Bulgarian Socialist Party (27%), which received more than 600,000 additional votes than in 2009, is because of the mobilisation of its permanent electorate and generational changes in the party. Also, for the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (11%), which represents the Turkish minority, and the nationalist Attack party (7%), the results are a confirmation of their stable positions on the political scene.
    [Show full text]