site.btaMedia Review: December 11

MASSIVE PROTESTS

In the aftermath of Wednesday night's mass rallies organized by the opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition in Sofia and other cities, the media are awash with analysis and commentaries ahead of Thursday's no-confidence vote in the Rosen Zhelyazkov Cabinet over its economic policy. The motion was submitted by CC-DB and is supported by the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms and the MECh party.

The world's news agencies covered the rally in Sofia. Demonstrators called for the resignations of MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski and GERB leader Boyko Borissov.

Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev commented on bTV that the anti-government protest on December 10 was twice the size of that on December 1 and clearly demonstrated the will of the people. Based on his party's data, around 150,000 people went to the rally in Sofia, over 50,000 in Plovdiv, and more than 30,000 in Varna.

Mediapool.bg quotes protesters, including ethnic Turks and a Roma man, who all said they do not recognize Peevski as leader of their communities; young doctors, who called for solutions to encourage them to build their careers in Bulgaria; a young woman who said she does not want the country run by Borissov, who changes his mind several times a day; and a parent from the northern of Pleven, which has had water rationing for months. Ivaylo Mirchev MP of CC-DB said the coalition had introduced two bills: one removing Peevski's security detail and another demanding that US and UK sanctions against Peevski should apply in Bulgaria as well.

President Rumen Radev said in a Facebook post that people got ahead of Parliament and effectively passed a vote of no confidence in the Cabinet on Wednesday night.

24 Chasa quotes Borissov as saying: "We are 20 metres away from the topic of resignation". He added that he always listens to the people but insists that the euro must be introduced first. His other priority is a reform of the Counter-Corruption Commission as is required by Brussels. He abandoned the idea of dissolving it to avoid losing funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov told Nova TV that the government coalition no longer has any moral or legitimate basis to continue running the country. Commenting on a potential political project of the President, Kostadinov said his party is in no way concerned about it: "On the contrary, we welcome it, as it is high time to consolidate the highly fragmented political landscape." However, he rejected the idea of his party partnering with Radev, citing the President's "inconsistent political stance in recent years".

ANALYSTS

Analysts seem to agree that it was arrogance that drove people to the streets.

Interviewed by the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), PR expert Diana Damyanova said she expects the Cabinet to survive the no-confidence vote. Still, the wave of protests cannot be stopped. In her view, public frustration stems from Borissov and Peevski sidelining Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. If 300,000 were on Bulgaria's streets on Wednesday night, three million need to vote. Also on BNT, former energy minister Miroslav Sevlievski called the rallies "an uprising against despotism, arrogance and complacency in politics, against mediocrity". These young people, born and raised in the EU and living by its values, suddenly saw the mismatch between European values and the local political reality.

According to the two analysts, Rumen Radev could still secure around 600,000 votes in any forthcoming early elections. Sevlievski stressed, however, that those who protested "are not Radev's supporters", which is why he has not joined them. Damyanova does not expect Boyko Borisov and GERB to lose many votes, and says around 600,000 will still support him, though they have stayed off the streets. She noted it would be interesting to see what party might join Radev.

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The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) interviewed political analyst Viktor Dimchev. Commenting on the protest in Sofia, he said President Radev is certain to be the big winner; protesters may not like him much, but they will ultimately help to elevate him to power. "I saw a huge crowd gathering, partly to express their political stance and partly to attend a concert by AXAT, the heavy rock/heavy metal band, which was part of the political message and turned the protest into a vibrant and entertaining event. The entire square was transformed into a massive stadium with extensive multimedia displays." Parliament Deputy Chair Atanas Atanassov, MP of CC-DB and leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, was booed while trying to speak from the podium, as were other political speakers. The government should have resigned after the December 1 protest, Dimchev said. Most likely, this will happen after the New Year as the power holders consider it more prudent to guide the country through its entry into the eurozone.

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Assoc. Prof. Stoycho Stoychev told BNT that when this kind of energy emerges among people who normally take little interest in politics, they have not formed stable political preferences yet and typically seek alternative forms of representation. Most of these protesters do not watch television, and those shaping their opinions operate in a different environment. As a result, all parliamentary parties are likely to experience negative effects, no matter how much some present themselves as leaders or spokespeople of the protest.

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Krystian Szkwarek said on Nova TV this was not a protest but a small revolution, mainly because of its scale in cities outside Sofia. Previous demonstrations had a single goal, along the lines of "we want these people gone". Now there is practically no one who does not call for the rule of law - a goal which was not achieved during the transition to democracy. The protest is a revolution attempting to complete what began in 1990, said Szkwarek.

OTHER COMMENTS

bTV and the Market Links marketing agency have financed a nationally representative survey, which found that GERB‑UDF remain the leading political force with 17% support, followed by CC‑DB with 14.7%, Vazrazhdane with 9.3%, and MRF-New Beginning with 9.1%. MECh scored 5.3% support, and the Bulgarian Socialist Party ranks sixth with 4.7%, according to the survey published on Thursday. Velichie, the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms and TISP remain below the 4% electoral threshold. The survey was conducted on December 3-7 among 1,009 people aged 18 or over through face-to-face interviews and online questionnaires. It also found that 82% of Bulgarians oppose the current model of governance. Among respondents, 61% disagreed with the claim that the protests aim to cause chaos, 31% agreed and 9% had no opinion. MarketLinks sociologist Dobromir Zhivkov told bTV that GERB saw a serious decline of 5% over the past month, CC-DB supporters are showing increased mobilization, Vazrazhdane remains stable, while MRF-New Beginning saw a decline of around 4%. Bulgarian society knows exactly what it is protesting against: the system of governance and the budget. It demands the Cabinet's resignation and protests against the leaders of the government coalition, Zhivkov commented. Supporters of BSP and TISP back the protests, with levels of support above the average.

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"Many things can change on the outside, but nothing changes within," Kristin Dimitrova, poet, writer and translator, warned in an interview with BNR. "I saw the faces of young people, not just the organized students. They were walking to the square with happy faces because someone had explained to them what is good and what is evil. They go because they are good and want to fight evil," she said. "Behind those faces, I see older people I have known for 20-30 years. If we are helping one faction of Bulgarian millionaires defeat another, the hopes of these young people will not be fulfilled."

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Election expert Mihail Konstantinov said on Nova News on Wednesday evening that if Bulgarians opt for early elections, they will be held in two months. In his view, elections in February or March would lead to chaos, and the first two months of the year will be especially challenging due to the introduction of the euro. It is the government's arrogance and foolishness that will bring it down, said Konstantinov. Politicians must always treat people with respect. Many present European leaders have shown disregard for citizens and will be swept away.

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Former Interior Minister Emanuil Yordanov told BNR the country needs elections. He praised the police for their handling of Wednesday's protest, noting better organization on the part of law enforcement and poorer coordination among provocateurs. Regarding the no-confidence vote, he believes the only uncertainty lies with There Is Such a People (TISP) due to their vague positions, while the rest of the majority is expected to support the government. If TISP act on self-preservation, they could vote in favour of the motion, but Yordanov considers it more likely that they will attempt to preserve the government, which seems virtually impossible amid the protests. Looking ahead to potential early elections, he said that no single party would secure over 50% of the vote. Discussions should begin immediately about who would govern with whom and on what conditions; any coalition will be difficult and potentially unpopular, but must be based on clear and detailed agreements.

Diplomat Rumyana Bachvarova, another former interior minister, said on bTV that Bulgaria is seeing a political earthquake. One of the most significant consequences of the protests is a fracture within MRF (Movement for Rights and Freedoms), with rising discontent among young members of the community protesting against Peevski, which is a major shift for Bulgarian society. Bachvarova believes the most logical course is to develop a working plan agreed upon by both the government and the opposition, outlining what should happen in the coming months and specifying a timeframe for the next elections.

TRANSPORT

In a Trud interview, Diana Rusinova, Chairperson of the European Center for Transport Policies, discusses the latest corruption scandal in the Road Administration Executive Agency after a video showed an official holding money while inspecting a car on the road. Asked why road accidents are rising despite much tougher penalties, Rusinova says that in Bulgaria the mindset is still centred on sanctions, which is a 1990s approach that has never evolved. "Nearly 40 years on, we are still talking only about penalties instead of rethinking the entire philosophy of road-safety management. We are fixated on numbers and on saying casualties are fewer, but each casualty is a human life. And the more sanctions we introduce, the less they work." The expert also says the modern world is adopting a "safe system" approach, which assumes people will make mistakes. Even if a tired driver crashes, the system can be designed to keep them alive. While the use of public transport in cities is being encouraged, most still drive private cars. It is hard to understand how anyone can afford to maintain a 25‑year‑old car while risking their life every day. It is a national policy issue to encourage people to buy new cars with modern safety systems, but many still opt for older luxury vehicles, often using dangerously outdated tyres.

MEDICINE

24 Chasa has a front-page interview with Deyan Denev, Director of the Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria, who says that in 2025, the expected value of prescriptions is around BGN 3.1 billion including VAT, while the budget is about BGN 2.2 billion, leaving a deficit of roughly BGN 900 million, which the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) requires from pharmaceutical companies so as to balance its budget. The larger the amount, the harder it is for companies to repay and justify it to their headquarters. The heaviest penalties fall on companies whose products are prescribed more frequently. So far, at least two pharmaceutical companies have decided to leave the Bulgarian market; another case has emerged this year. The state needs to allocate additional resources for prevention, which involves identifying at-risk groups in time, ensuring precise diagnosis and providing modern treatment. The average time between a product's approval by the European Medicines Agency and its reimbursement by the NHIF is around 750 days. If the current system remains unchanged, this period will lengthen, making companies even more reluctant to launch their products on the Bulgarian market.

ENVIRONMENT

Trud has a commentary by Dr Petar Kichashki, headlined "Climate Alarmism: The 'Morality' That Serves the Revolution". He takes issue with a study published in Nature on April 17, 2024, which projected very large economic damage from climate change, including an estimate of about USD 38 trillion per year by 2049. The research was conducted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. In his view, the message is clear: to "justify" ending the extraction and use of fossil fuels, switching entirely to electric vehicles and renewables, and giving up the comforts of the developed world in order to avert an alleged apocalypse. The implication is that we are being pushed back into the Stone Age in the name of being "saved", while those driving this agenda gain full control over people's lives. Last week the journal removed the original paper as the study by a group of German scientists was so fundamentally flawed that its findings do not reflect reality. Once the errors are corrected, the data show no meaningful evidence, and to date, no rigorous scientific research demonstrates that addressing climate change is more cost-effective than doing nothing. The author concludes: "It is good to protect the world from destruction, but not if we are prepared to destroy it first just so we can later pose as its saviours. Don't listen to the climate alarmists; they are simply the latest in a long historical line of demagogues selling illusions."

SOCIETY

A large headline in 24 Chasa says one in 10 will travel for Christmas, and most of the rest will gather for meals with family; 6% will share the table with friends; just 2.6% will go to a restaurant; and 8% will not celebrate, according to 4,511 readers of the daily who took part in an online poll between November 25 and December 10.