Until recently, Borisov was unelectable and pulling the strings behind the scenes, but now is returning to the political scene, and the PP-DB were naive to think that a rotation with GERB was possible, writes "Süddeutsche Zeitung" for Bulgaria. Here's the more important thing.
The current acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev is unlikely to go down in history as a person who managed to leave a lasting impression on the development in Bulgaria, commented the authoritative “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and clarifies that Glavchev was a compromise figure imposed by the changes in the Bulgarian Constitution.
But his time will soon run out, the publication recalls, and draws attention to the fact that the elections on June 9, according to sociologists' studies so far, can be won by GERB - a party that “Süddeutsche Zeitung” calls it “pro-European and pro-Atlantic, but also “very corrupt”.
Two parties with rather dubious leaders can come to power
Borisov is well known in Bulgarian politics as “eternal survivor”, writes the German newspaper and recalls some dark moments of his biography – that the former bodyguard is being associated with the mafia, that a few years ago the photos appeared showing wads of money and a gun next to his bed. The publication also mentions the audio recordings on which dubious transactions can be heard being settled.
Borisov could now head the next government, possibly in a coalition with the DPS and with the “US-sanctioned oligarch Delyan Peevski”, adds “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
The rotation was not going to work
The German edition notes that the last fragile coalition in the governance of Bulgaria was failed precisely by GERB, because in the party they were convinced that in new early elections they would win enough votes to become the first political force, thus thwarting the judicial reform and continue to protect the interests of the oligarchs close to them.
The German publication also quotes the expert Maria Spirova, who says that GERB has already returned to power several times precisely with the aim of blocking legislative changes. According to her, it was clear from the very beginning of the previous regular government, “GERB have no intention of playing fair”.
According to an analysis by Boris Popivanov from the Bulgarian office of the “Friedrich Ebert” in the PP-DB coalition were too naive to believe that the rotation with GERB could work”. Therefore, the postponement of important political projects such as the reform of the judicial system and the security services for the time after the rotation ended in failure, as could be expected, reads the conclusion of the political scientist quoted by “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
Rise of a nationalist party
This is why Boyko Borisov is returning to the political scene in Bulgaria - the man who until now was pulling the strings behind the scenes, writes the German newspaper. As a result of the battles for supremacy between the camp of the reformist forces and that of the status quo in Bulgaria, the rise of the "Revival" party, which the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" calls right-wing extremist.
Bulgarians are tired of elections, voter turnout is regularly below 50%, and European topics such as Schengen, joining the Eurozone or the war in Ukraine hardly played a role in the election campaign due to the many internal political disputes, the German edition concludes.
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"Süddeutsche Zeitung" recalls that Borisov was ousted from power as a result of prolonged civil protests in Bulgaria.