Politics Bulgaria riots

[morris]

As anti-government protests in Bulgaria stretch into their second month, demonstrators are finding new ways of making themselves heard.

First, they blocked major roads in the capital Sofia and in other locations throughout the country.
A group of protesters also went on a hunger strike and now they are planning to relay each other.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside Bulgaria's parliament in Sofia on Thursday, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his government. During the rally, protesters threw eggs and tomatoes at officials who were filmed arriving for a parliament session and entering the parliament building. Moreover, protesters formed a human chain outside the building in an attempt to prevent the parliamentarians from entering the building.

Bulgaria protesters hunger strike as demonstrations enter second month

A group of protesters also went on a hunger strike and one activist threatened to set herself on fire.

www.euronews.com

 

[berkut76]

As anti-government protests in Bulgaria stretch into their second month, demonstrators are finding new ways of making themselves heard.

First, they blocked major roads in the capital Sofia and in other locations throughout the country.
A group of protesters also went on a hunger strike and now they are planning to relay each other.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside Bulgaria's parliament in Sofia on Thursday, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his government. During the rally, protesters threw eggs and tomatoes at officials who were filmed arriving for a parliament session and entering the parliament building. Moreover, protesters formed a human chain outside the building in an attempt to prevent the parliamentarians from entering the building.

Bulgaria protesters hunger strike as demonstrations enter second month

A group of protesters also went on a hunger strike and one activist threatened to set herself on fire.

www.euronews.com

Do you have more info? Why are the protesters calling for PM resignation and dissolution of government.

 

[Mike1976]

Do you have more info? Why are the protesters calling for PM resignation and dissolution of government.

Rumen Radev (elected 2016) is the president, a former communist (now nominally independent) and pro-Russian. The party that won the last election (2017) is conservative and pro-EU.

 

[morris]

Do you have more info? Why are the protesters calling for PM resignation and dissolution of government.

Thousands of Bulgarians have called on Borissov and the country’s chief prosecutor to resign over rampant high-level graft that has weakened state institutions, benefited powerful tycoons and pauperized the population. The prosecutor general, Ivan Geshev, is widely considered as biased and unfit for the job.

 

[morris]

Instead of resigning, Borissov calls for new Bulgarian constitution - Euractiv

The national audience was expecting his resignation. But veteran Prime Minister Boyko Borissov made a televised address on Friday (14 August) in which he proposed a change of constitution – a move seen as an obvious attempt to buy time....

www.euractiv.com

The national audience was expecting his resignation. But veteran Prime Minister Boyko Borissov made a televised address on Friday (14 August) in which he proposed a change of constitution – a move seen as an obvious attempt to buy time.

The protests have drawn support from across the political spectrum, as well as from young people with no political affiliation. Bulgarians put a lot of hope in the EU to help put an end to a 30-years transition they consider as criminal.

Borissov said two weeks ago he was ready to resign, but then changed his mind, saying that his junior coalition partners, the United Patriots, want him to stay until the end of the mandate, next spring.

 

[morris]

Protests in Bulgaria turn violent

Riots broke out during protests against the Bulgarian government in Sofia on Wednesday.

www.eurotopics.net

 

[morris]

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[nemipuka_]

My brief on the situation: it's a power struggle between President Radev vs Prime-minister Borisov. The protesters demand the resignation of Borisov and deny any associations with Radev. But everyone knows that if a government resigns before the end of its mandate, the President personally handpicks the new Prime-Minister and all ministers who must schedule new elections.
Тhis development is echo from the war between the nationwide gambling monopolist Vasil Bozhkov (nickname "The Skull") vs some media tycoons. Eventually the anty-Bozhkov coalition won the support of the Prime-minister and forced their adversary to flee. But immediately after he landed in Dubai, the protests started against Borisov and particularly the Chief Prosecutor, who was most instrumental for his defeat. The President saw in this situation a chance to gain power.

 

[morris]

Protesters in Bulgaria demand prime minister's resignation amid corruption allegations - The World from PRX

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has been forced out of office twice before, and both times he managed to make his way back. “He’s like a cat with nine lives,” says associate professor Petar Cholakov at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

www.pri.org

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Protesters were met by police in riot gear outside parliament in Sofia in the largest demonstration in two months of anti-government protests in Bulgaria on Wednesday evening.

 

[morris]

Tomorrow it will already be 2 months since the riots in the Bulgarian capital have not abated. They started on 9 July and escalated into violent clashes a few days ago.

 

[morris]

What is happening with the Bulgarian protest movement?

For two months, Bulgarians have protested against a scandal-ridden government which refuses to resign.

www.aljazeera.com

On September 2, the two-month-long anti-governmental protests in Bulgaria entered the most violent stage to date. For the first time, the police deployed water cannon, tear gas and pepper spray, marking the end of the relatively peaceful phase in protesting that made Bulgaria such an outlier in Europe in this regard.

The following day the embattled government used the clashes as an excuse to stop negotiating its exit.

Many Bulgarians are upset that their prospects and those of their children are being held back in the EU’s poorest country, where a mafia elite acts above the law and has widespread control over the economy. This summer’s crisis provided striking examples of the impudence of the Bulgarian oligarchs. According to recent polls, 80% of Bulgarians consider corruption to be widespread in the country, while more than 70% generally support anti-corruption protests, which are becoming increasingly tense, including calls for a “major national uprising”.

 

[Mike1976]

80% of the people are against corruption yet any new government will be just as corrupt as the previous ones. It's usually a matter of -not our- corrupt politicians being in power. When the entire society is driven by corruption changing the muppets in charge will change nothing.

 

[morris]

The state of permanent corruption?

 

[morris]

Bulgarian prime minister resigns

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov has officially resigned as ruling party's candidate Tsetska Tsacheva lost the presidential election

tass.com

Borisov has submitted his resignation to the National Assembly (parliament), the BGNES news agency reported.
"The current cabinet will continue to operate until a new cabinet is formed, and ensure the continuity of government," the document says.
The cabinet’s resignation came a few hours after the ruling Citizens for European Development party candidate (GERB) party candidate Tsetska Tsacheva had lost the presidential election. She gained 36.17% of the vote while opposition candidate Rumen Raden garnered over 59%.

The parliament is expected to review the cabinet’s resignation at the next session scheduled for November 15.