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Bulgaria forms new minority government

Anna Sonny, 7 June 2013

After a bleak start to the year, which has so far been peppered by social unrest and political scandals, Bulgaria has sworn in a new government. The country has been without a stable administration since protests in February saw former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov ousted. Elections last month were inconclusive when Borisov’s centre-right GERB party narrowly won with 31% of the vote, but the party were well short of a majority with only 97 deputies in a 240-seat chamber. Attempts to form a coalition failed; the GERB party could not find a desired political partner in the Socialists, who came second with 27%, nor the Turkish minority party DPS, nor the ultra-nationalist party Ataka.

It was left to the Socialists to form a minority government with the DPS, but the coalition was still one vote short of a majority; this was eventually provided by Ataka, who have threatened to withdraw  their silent support if they feel the government is not acting in the country’s national interests. This unlikely grouping of polarised political parties is now being led by Plamen Oresharski, a non-partisan former finance minister.

The mixed minority government will make it difficult to push through much needed reforms; it holds 120 seats out of 240, and will have to win the support of the opposition on a case by case basis.

There is much work to be done to improve public disenchantment with the political elite in Bulgaria. On top of the wiretapping scandal that cast a shadow over the GERB party, just a day before the elections, 400,000 illegally printed ballots were found in a printing shop linked to a GERB official. Although it was claimed that the ballots were faulty, it is still being determined whether the intention was to manipulate election results. The low voter turn-out of 50% reflected public frustration.

Tasks ahead for the new government also include negotiating EU funds for the next seven years, which are important for the country’s struggling economy.  The average monthly wage is 400 euros, and over a fifth of the population lives below the poverty line. While it is unclear how stable such a polarised government can be, it is hoped that Oresharski’s economic expertise will help to lift Bulgaria out of its economic troubles.

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