Is Bulgaria facing a political crisis?
Immediately after his pro-EU candidate lost Bulgaria's presidential election to opposition candidate Rumen Radev, who is seen as pro-Russian, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his government announced that they were stepping down. The Bulgarian media discuss what the prime minister's resignation means for the country.
Borisov's reality shock after election
The presidential election has brought Prime Minister Boyko Borisov back to reality with a bump, writes Sega:
“Borisov tried to persuade us on a daily basis that we have the most beautiful and cheapest motorways in the world, that public contracts are awarded cleanly and transparently and that bribery, cronyism and abuse of power are alien concepts for our politicians. … That was Borisov-land for you. But in our world things are a bit different. We see the bumps in the asphalt of motorways that have just been completed. We see EU funds flowing into useless and crazy projects. Football stadiums and swimming pools are built in villages where no one exercises anymore, so they remain empty. Everyone can watch as a handful of big companies divide billions among themselves while the rest are forced to fight for the crumbs.”
No cause for panic
Worries that Bulgaria will collapse into chaos after the government's resignation are completely unfounded, 24 Chasa writes:
“There can be no talk of a political crisis. We have a president who will be relieved of his duties by another president on January 22. We have a democratically elected parliament and a government that has resigned, yes, but that will continue to conduct the country's business until the transitional government takes over. So there's no reason to be overdramatic about the political situation. ... That would only create the false impression at home and abroad that our country is in chaos, whereas in fact the opposite is the case: everything is going according to plan within the framework of the constitution, the party leaders are behaving in a civilised way, the new and the old president smile into the cameras in a show of friendship and display willingness to engage in dialogue. So where's the problem?”