site.btaMedia Review: December 19

PROTESTS AND POLITICS

The news media cover the latest wave of protests when thousands gathered in Sofia and other major Bulgarian cities on Thursday. The demonstrations were peaceful and demanded amendments to the Election Code and judicial reform. The rallies were triggered by the ruling coalition's attempt to put the revised 2026 budget proposal to a vote, described by the government as a "test" of the opposition Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition. These protests merged with demonstrations calling for the resignation of acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov, organized by the Justice for All initiative.

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Assoc. Prof. Stoycho Stoychev told the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) that Thursday's protest was an attempt to take a constructive path out of the current situation by forming a direction or political leadership. The political scientist said that if protests are to have electoral impact, their energy must be transformed into a political vision. If a protest can remove a government, it should also present a vision for a new one, offering people a leader or direction to support. The rallies on December 18 may have been an effort to showcase potential leaders behind whom the public can rally.

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Interviewed by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Todor Petrov, one of the organizers of the protests, said new ones will be organized only if the authorities do not heed demands from the streets for fair elections and machine voting. After the December 10 rally and the government's resignation on the next day, social media were flooded with a single message: the real struggle begins now, and everyone must vote in fair elections. Holding fair elections now is a much greater cause and transcends party lines. Petrov said: "For us, it is important to provide a platform like You Count so that everyone can observe the elections, regardless of which party they vote for." He said CC-DB's party subsidy funds the organization and technology of the demonstrations, which will be reported to the National Audit Office.

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In Trud, Ilia Iliev comments on the "chronic fragmentation of Bulgarian society", saying that it is reaching a dangerous level. Widespread street protests surprised political clientelist networks in Parliament with their scale and anger, ultimately prompting the swift resignation of the Rosen Zhelyazkov government after a series of failed opposition votes of no confidence. Months of media manipulation portraying the government as successful and inevitable collapsed dramatically. The cabinet had been built on flimsy arguments - "this is the only option" and "the key objective is joining the eurozone" - which failed to resonate with the public. Bulgaria can no longer rely on external arbiters or mentors. For the past 30 years, what passed for political elite has operated under delegated responsibility, first to Washington, then Brussels, and often to other external actors. In today's deteriorating global order, stability growth, and security cannot be guaranteed externally. The concept of national interest must be restored as a pragmatic category rather than an ideological clichе. A new type of political class is needed: one that makes decisions independently, seeks internal trust rather than external approval, and sees complexity as an opportunity rather than a threat. Most parties in Bulgaria were shaped by a unipolar world and lack the capacity to function outside it, making elections increasingly ineffective and merely postponing challenges.

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In its Christmas issue, the last for 2025, the Capital weekly has an article by Yovo Nikolov titled "The End of Politics (in Bulgaria)" from the Bulgarian edition of The Economist. Bulgaria's political system has evolved into a deeply entrenched model of state capture centred on an alliance between GERB leader Boyko Borissov and MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski. While Borissov hoped for a return to the old GERB-dominated status quo, the rise of Peevski as a more aggressive power broker has made corruption, control over institutions, and the fusion of politics with criminal networks far more visible, which triggered mass protests, mobilizing younger people. The author traces this model back to 2014, highlighting the capture of the judiciary, security services, regulators and public procurement, as well as the use of repression against political opponents and local authorities, such as Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, who was "arrested on trumped-up charges", says Nikolov. The 2026 budget proposal was a key catalyst for protests, cast as socially framed but in reality designed to feed clientelist networks through debt, infrastructure projects and state institutions. The article concludes that merely changing governments will not restore normal politics. Without deep reforms of the judiciary, security services and regulators, any future elections or political reshuffling will reproduce the same system. "The problem is that it is very difficult for a political alternative to stand up to something that is non-political and criminal in nature. This is also one of the explanations for the failure of the Continue the Change government. It was brought down for two reasons: the halting of payments for infrastructure projects benefiting the clientelist networks of GERB and MRF, and attempts to remove criminal structures from the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint." The author says that when snap elections take place in 2026, attention will be focused on a possible political project led by Rumen Radev. "However, a president and a party leader are two very different roles. The rapid resignation of the GERB government was, in fact, a shrewd move aimed precisely at blocking such a political project," says Yovo Nikolov.

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An article by Ruslan Trad in the Capital weekly analyses Gen Z protests around the world in 2025. The new generation of protesters deems today's political framework outdated and is not afraid to create its own. Leaderless protests are able to bring about political change, but still struggle with policy development. The author says it is unclear if the protests will lead to a sustainable transformation or to violent fragmentation. What is certain, however, is that 2025 marks a turning point, when a global generation, united by uncertainty and connectivity, declared that it will no longer accept a future predetermined by the failures of others.

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An analysis by Dimitrana Alexandrova in 24 Chasa recalls that the last time a single political force won a majority in Bulgaria's parliament was in 1997. That year, the United Democratic Forces (UtdDF) coalition secured 137 seats in the 240-seat parliament, but instead of just opposing the government, it came up with clear plans, demonstrating readiness to act, and mobilizing local party structures to engage voters beyond street protests. In contrast, in 2025 there is nothing comparable to UtdDF, although parliamentary elections are expected around March. Democratic forces have been negotiating a joint presidential candidate, but no results are publicly known, nor are there plans for a pre-election coalition with constructive policies capable of securing the 121 seats needed for stable governance. CC-DB can turn the protests into votes only if they form a strong coalition with a constructive governance programme, rather than just an anti-platform. Otherwise, CC-DB will lose Gen Z, like they lost previous generations several times over. As Einstein famously said, insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

ECONOMY 

The Capital weekly has interviewed Francois Debergh, Veolia Regional Director for Bulgaria, Greece and Albania. Based on Veolia's long experience as a concessionaire, he says the path for Sofia's water utility, Sofiyska Voda, has not always been easy. Over the past ten years, Veolia has invested between EUR 22 million and EUR 25 million per year, and in 2026 its investment will probably rise to EUR 26 million. As a result, Sofiyska Voda is able to meet the challenges linked to climate change. Debergh says that in wastewater treatment, the company produces energy from sludge by turning it into biogas. In this way, up to 65-70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year are saved. In 2026, Sofiyska Voda will complete a photovoltaic project, and the entire water cycle can become energy-neutral. Decarbonization is a key priority for Veolia, one of the pillars of its GreenUp strategy.

Asked if Veolia would be interested in a concession for Sofia's heating utility, Toplofikatsiya Sofia, Debergh says: "We are definitely interested." Veolia is the second-largest operator of district heating networks in Europe, and its goal is to become the European leader by 2030. Transparent accountability is an advantage of concessions as every year key performance indicators and investment plans must be met. Toplofikatsiya Sofia has its specific challenges: very large investments are needed, along with improved efficiency and greater economic sustainability. The company has a debt that grows every year. All of these problems could be addressed through a concession agreement. Veolia is the operator of district heating in Varna: it is financially sustainable, customer satisfaction is very high, high-efficiency electricity is produced through cogeneration, and the concessionaire maintains network and building installations.

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The Capital weekly has an overview of the past year's major economic trends. In one segment, Senior Economist Georgi Angelov from the Open Society Institute - Sofia highlights a net migration balance between Germany and Bulgaria of more than 10,500 people in Bulgaria's favour. In 2024, for the first time, more Bulgarians left Germany than moved there, with a net outflow of nearly 10,000 people. At the same time, around 800 more German citizens moved to Bulgaria than left it. This reversal is also visible in countries such as Poland and Croatia. The reasons are twofold: Germany's economy has been stagnating for five years, while regional economies are catching up, and rising wages and low unemployment in Bulgaria are narrowing income gaps and reducing incentives to emigrate. The question is whether Bulgaria is ready to absorb a larger wave of return migration in terms of public services, schools and childcare.

JUSTICE

Interviewed by 24 Chasa, Judge Rusi Alexiev, President of the Sofia City Court, denies allegations that he intends to usurp the authority of the general assembly, given the large number of general meetings he has convened and the topics he has submitted for consideration. He says the worst problem is the work load, with over 43,000 cases filed annually at the Sofia City Court, while there are no courtrooms or offices for its 171 judges.

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Interviewed by bTV, constitutional law expert Petar Slavov raised the issue of electing a new Supreme Judicial Council. Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov cannot continue indefinitely beyond the expired six-month term. Slavov warned about an absurd situation where Sarafov could serve in this capacity longer than the official seven-year term of a Prosecutor General. The most realistic expectation is that the SJC Plenum will appoint a new acting Prosecutor General until a new SJC is elected.

OPINIONS ON MACHINE VOTING

On bTV, Petar Slavov and Borislav Tsekov, Associate Professor of Constitutional Law, discussed CC-DB's calls for 100% machine voting. Tsekov said he is against machine voting as a matter of principle, citing European and American standards. While machines can facilitate voting, he is against scanners, arguing they will be a waste of money and someone will find some fault with them, which will ultimately lead to chaos. He argued that universal suffrage cannot be ensured through a single voting method, be it paper ballots or machines. Machines may deter some voters, while paper ballots may discourage others. Slavov also said both paper ballots and machines should be used.

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Interviewed by Nova TV, journalist Boyko Stankushev and political analyst Rumyana Kolarova were divided on the advantages of machine voting. Stankushev defended it, saying that in one village in the northwestern Vidin Region, 143 out of 322 paper ballots were invalid. He argued that without machines and proper observers, past problems would persist. In contrast, Kolarova argued that machines are not a cure-all, stressing that human oversight is what ensures integrity. She noted that the whole of Europe, except parts of Belgium, relies on counting centres rather than machines, and that in 2021, 15% of Bulgarian voters abstained out of fear of using machines.

SOCIETY

In an article headlined "The War That Started All Wars" in the Capital weekly, Chief Assistant Professor Aleksandar Stoyanov from the Institute for Historical Studies of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences says that all major military and political conflicts in the world today can be traced back to 1914-1919. World War I was the greatest political crisis in human history, which transformed humanity's worldview as no other conflict before or after it has done. "Even today, we are still struggling to overcome the borders, national complexes, and traumas left by the Great War," Stoyanov says.

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Yoan Zapryanov writes in Capital about the comeback of vinyl records, which began over a decade ago. A vinyl record boom is becoming increasingly visible in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities. Experts say around 30,000 records were sold in the country last year. Hristo Nedyalkov from Supreme Records notes a curious trend: people buying records without owning a turntable to play them on: "Some younger customers have told me they want to hang the records on the wall, and I make them promise they will eventually get a turntable as well."

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24 Chasa reports on its front page that drug traffickers are increasingly avoiding the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the border with Turkiye due to stricter controls and frequent drug seizures, opting for alternative crossings and using more sophisticated methods, such as hiding drugs in car gas cylinders. On December 10, Bulgarian Customs officers seized 70 kg of marijuana hidden in the gas cylinders of three cars at the Malko Tarnovo checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Turkish border. Valued at over BGN 1 million, the drugs were intended for the Turkish market and are the largest seizure at that checkpoint this year, according to the Customs Agency.

NORTH MACEDONIA

Trud publishes the opinion of Assoc. Prof. Spas Tashev, head of the Department of Demography at the Institute for Population and Human Studies with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, on what he sees as Bulgaria's outstanding issues with the Republic of North Macedonia. On November 30, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov stated in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio that Sofia has "no unresolved bilateral issues with Skopje". Tashev acknowledges that Skopje's issues with EU integration are no longer bilateral with Bulgaria but concern the entire EU. Still, the social scientist lists what he views as pressing bilateral issues: Bulgarian books are not allowed to cross the border into North Macedonia; Bulgarian citizens, including MEPs from GERB, are still banned from entering the country; dozens of online trolls spread hate against Bulgaria on social media; a media campaign is conducted against Bulgaria, including the use of hate speech; textbooks contain distortions and hostile portrayals of Bulgaria; Bulgarian war memorials are being destroyed; and Bulgarian investors are not welcome.