The mass protests against the draft budget are the result of long-standing public tension, and not just the specific financial texts. She said this in an interview for the program “120 minutes“ on bTV Rumyana Bachvarova, sociologist, former chief of staff of Boyko Borisov and former interior minister in the GERB government.
According to her, these protests should not be underestimated, but they should not be overestimated either.
According to her, the dissatisfaction has been brewing for months, and the urgent adoption of the budget, without sufficient discussion with business and unions, has caused irritation and disgust. Bachvarova defined the key problem as a refusal to dialogue, which led to a lack of transparency and unclear decisions within the coalition.
Bachvarova emphasized that it is new for Bulgaria for so many people to take to the streets over the draft budget.
According to her, the protests have their own dynamics and it remains to be seen whether the various dissatisfied groups – opposition supporters, young doctors, road safety protesters - will be able to unite.
The former minister pointed to the lack of a clear coalition agreement as a major omission. According to her, it is not clear who and how makes the key decisions, and the divergent positions in the coalition indicate a management deficit.
When asked whether Boyko Borisov hears the street or is afraid of it, Bachvarova replied that the two things can be combined.
She emphasized that the GERB leader traditionally reacts to public discontent and is currently trying to reach an agreement, but the political damage is already there.
Bachvarova believes that the draft budget is trying to buy certain voters.
She did not rule out the option of early elections if key figures such as Delyan Peevski or Borisov make such a decision.
According to her, it is even possible to form a second cabinet with the first mandate if the ruling party decides to avoid elections at a time when the country is on the verge of adopting the euro.
On the topic of coalition partners, Bachvarova defined “There is such a people“ (ITN) as the biggest political failure in recent years. According to her observations, the party does not have a clear position and does not have its own voice.
Bashvarova defined the BSP's threats that it may leave the coalition because of the budget as “hints to preserve honor and dignity“. According to her, the party has no real interest in leaving the government.
According to the sociologist, preserving the budget parameters in their current form may look like a victory for the ruling party, but will lead to new crises at the beginning of next year.