Foreign media: ″Government as from hell″ in Bulgaria? | News and analysis from Bulgaria | DW
The German “Di Delt” pays the main attention to corruption in Bulgaria, publishing an interview with the official minister Ivan Demerdzhiev. It is mainly devoted to the issue of the revealed abuses in the border control near Kapitan Andreevo. In one of their questions, the publication critically notes that the corruption structures in Bulgaria have apparently developed too undisturbed during the long rule of Boyko Borisov.
Asked to share the opinion of former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov that the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office is not independent, Demerdzhiev said the following: “If we look back, this statement by Petkov is correct. But today we find ourselves in a different situation. The abolition of the specialized prosecutor’s office and the specialized court removed the monopoly of the chief prosecutor over the investigation. Cooperation with the local police is now much closer and no crime is covered.”
A pro-Kremlin coalition in Bulgaria?
As for Russian influence in Bulgaria and the construction of the Boyko Borisov-era Balkan Stream gas pipeline, Demerdzhiev stated: “One thing is clear: this gas pipeline is not in Bulgaria’s interest.”
The Austrian “Der Standard” also expresses concerns about a possible pro-Kremlin coalition in Bulgaria. The author Adelheid Wölfl recalls that in April “Gazprom” stopped the blue fuel to Bulgaria, but despite this, the caretaker government appointed by President Rumen Radev “turns more and more towards the Kremlin”. You also inform about the protests in Bulgaria, which are taking place under the hashtag GazWithMe.
“Not only from the point of view of Bulgaria’s energy policy, it is of key importance for the EU. If the positions of the pro-Russian forces in Bulgaria strengthen, this may change the entire policy of European sanctions against Russia,” commented the publication.
“Der Standart” also notes that the Turkish Stream gas pipeline is a real “gift to the Kremlin” and the prediction that the pro-Russian bloc receives the support of President Rumen Radev, “who opposes sanctions against the Kremlin and is de facto governed as a minister- president through his frequently appointed caretaker governments’.
The newspaper also commented on the warnings of former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. The eventual coalition between GERB, DPS and “Vazrazhdane” would be entirely “pro-Russian, far-right and corrupt. This would be something like a government from hell,” warns Petkov.
Long political instability ahead
And the Austrian “Wiener Zeitung” devotes material to the upcoming one in Bulgaria this Sunday. He dwells on the political, gas and inflationary crisis affecting the country. According to the publication, Bulgaria is traditionally considered “rather friendly towards Russia and has so far not shown military support to Ukraine”, but despite this, many politicians have recently moved away from Moscow.
The newspaper quotes the prediction of political scientist Strahil Deliyski, according to which country is only at the beginning of a long phase of political instability. “The majority of other political observers also agree that the next elections in Bulgaria can be held in just a few months,” concludes the Wiener Zeitung report.
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