Photo source: Council on Foreign Relations By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront After a year of successive interim governments, the Bulgarian parliament finally voted in favour of a regular government in June 2023. This move has the potential to move Bulgaria back towards the European mainstream and bring wider benefits to the region. The two main political actors in the country, the We Continue the Change (PP) party with its coalition partner Democratic Bulgaria (DB) and GERB, have been unable to create governments on their own as each has just over a quarter of the MPs in parliament. Their opposing positions on the reform of the judiciary and the rule of law have prevented them from forming a coalition government. The disarray in parliament had left President Rumen Radev, a former general with a growing appetite for power, in charge of appointing interim governments. But Radev’s negative rhetoric towards political parties and reluctance to hand over the governing mandate made...

Photo source: Al Jazeera By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront B efore parliamentarians returned from a summer break in September 2020, protestors had gathered to block the parliament building in Bulgaria. They had accused the government of protecting the tycoons and other influential men. There were also accusations of mafia links to those in power, curbing of freedom of speech, prosecution racketeering and inaction against plunder. These issues have been largely returned with a loud silence. The ambiance of these protests were such, as if the memories of 2013 protests had been fresh in the minds of many Bulgarians, when the French ambassador protested amongst the demonstrators against the grip of the oligarchs on the country. At that time, protests were also due to the interruption of EU funding and students also occupied the Sofia University. Metrics, such as by Transparency International indicate that the perception of corruption in Bulgaria is highest in the European Union. ...