Bulgaria: will the coalition talks fail again?
After the snap parliamentary election on 9 June, coalition talks in Bulgaria are once again in danger of failing. Former prime minister Boyko Borisov's conservative Gerb party has failed to secure a majority together with the second strongest party, the Movement of Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which represents the Turkish minority. The search for a third coalition partner seems unlikely to succeed. The national press is unsparing in its criticism.
Choice between stability or fighting corruption
At first glance it looks like Borisov and his Gerb party have won the elections, writes the Bulgarian service of Deutsche Welle:
“But they will have a hard time forming a government because the main conflict in Bulgaria has not been resolved. ... The main conflict is between the section of society that rejects the corrupt government model and those who support and defend it. ... The other problem is that due to their political differences the anti-corruption parties are also unable to join forces and form a government. ... The voters still have the last word: do they want stability in poverty, accompanied by a dubious and uncertain Euro-Atlantic orientation, or a final rejection of the corruption model in Bulgaria?”
Borisov will stop at nothing
In his desperation the former PM has even approached his main rival the PP-DB reform alliance, Club Z laments:
“It's time to stop this hypocrisy and deceit. You can't criticise someone for everything they do, run your entire campaign against them and then want them as a partner in government. ... Borisov probably wants to save himself from the mess he created by calling a snap election. He'll start going around the country again declaring that the PP-DB is incapable of governing and that only he can fix things. ... If such a campaign attracts voters again, it can be patented as a fail-safe test for brain atrophy.”