„The protests began as a reaction against the draft budget, but grew into mass dissatisfaction against the „Borisov-Peevski“ management model, said political scientist Assoc. Prof. Milen Lyubenov in the studio of „The Day Live“.
Criticism of Borisov
According to him, the claims of GERB leader Boyko Borisov that elections now will lead to „exceptional chaos“ and will compromise the introduction of the euro are not enough reasoned.
„I am not sure that Mr. Borisov understands the essence of the problem“, said the political scientist and emphasized that the protests were not caused only by the budget, but by long-standing tension.
Protest with a national scope
Assoc. Prof. Lyubenov emphasized the expanding national scale of the demonstrations, giving examples of large-scale events in cities such as Gabrovo - a traditional bastion of GERB. According to him, the protest is now clearly anti-government and aimed at changing the model of governance.
Who is responsible for the crisis
The political scientist stated that the main fault lies with the government, who submitted the budget late and without prior social dialogue. This, in his words, has „exploded the political situation“.
The Eurozone
Regarding concerns that political instability could threaten the introduction of the euro, Lyubenov was categorical that the process is technologically complete. „These are political justifications“, he said, pointing out that institutions can also function with a caretaker cabinet.
The blocked budget
Assoc. Prof. Lyubenov pointed out that in democratic practice, a blocked budget almost always means resignation. He gave the example of France, where a similar situation led to changes at the highest level.
According to the analyst, the BSP agrees „with almost everything“ in governance and does not create real tensions. According to him, the conflicts are more likely economic — a clash of different interests within the coalition.
Attempts to discredit the protests
Lyubenov admits that there may have been an attempt to discredit the protest through provocateurs, as in previous years. However, he notes that the situation was brought under control without serious incidents.
What does Radev aim for
The political scientist defined the president's address as part of a strategy for building a future political project. However, he predicts that the cabinet will have difficulty resisting the growing public tension.
According to Lyubenov, although the PP–DB do not have parliamentary allies, they have so far managed to organize the protests. But the question of a sustainable political alternative remains open and will depend on the ability of the formations to offer a realistic plan for governance.
The Mirchev-Peevski Scandal
Lyubenov also commented on the public clash between Ivaylo Mirchev and Delyan Peevski in parliament.
He described what happened as unacceptable. “There is no place for such scenes, regardless of which side they come from“, he concluded.