The huge and comfortable lead of the winners in the elections can be considered a success, but more importantly, it should be perceived as a binding responsibility, not as a reason for euphoria.
This was stated by political scientist and lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communications of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Rosen Stoyanov on Radio FOCUS in the program "Bulgaria, Europe and the World in Focus".
According to him, the expectations for the new rulers come not only from their voters, but also from nearly half of those with the right to vote who did not participate in the vote. What these groups have in common is the demand for real, substantial and rapid change that cannot be postponed.
"Expectations for cardinal change oblige them much more than the fleeting joy after the elections. This is something that they must deal with as quickly as possible".
In his words, the key is to develop a clear, publicly communicated action plan that is structured in detail - even by days and hours. The reason is that problems in state administration, resource management and public processes cannot be postponed and require immediate solutions.
Reactions of the losing parties
In his comment, Prof. Stoyanov also drew attention to the behavior of the losing formations. According to him, in many cases there is a lack of political responsibility, which is common practice in a number of European countries.
"In other countries, the leaders of heavily losing parties submit resignations, which are at least discussed. This does not happen in our country and it seems that there is no such practice.“
He notes that an exception is Krum Zarkov, who has questioned his continuation as leader of the BSP after the party's unexpected exit from parliament - an event that, in his words, is unprecedented for the transition period," he said.
"The remaining political forces either remained silent or stated that they would continue without changes, despite the results," Stoyanov said, adding that this poses a risk of further decline in trust if real conclusions are not drawn.
Tension between PP and DB
The political scientist also commented on the rift between We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria, which arose over the distribution of a parliamentary seat from Plovdiv. Assen Vassilev's decision to enter parliament from Plovdiv-city leads to the elimination of Manol Peykov - a key figure for the DB.
According to Stoyanov, this conflict will likely deepen if the parties maintain their current positions and do not reach new agreements.
"If a compromise is not reached, we could see the formation of two separate parliamentary groups". He recalled that the tension between the two formations began even before the elections, around controversial nominations, including those of Daniel Lorer and Yavor Bozhankov.
"The topic was temporarily silenced due to the pre-election situation, but now it is coming to the fore again", he added.
Prospects for the new government
Regarding the future of the parliament, Prof. Stoyanov indicated that the comfortable majority of 131 deputies of the winners will likely ensure stability at least in the first months, and perhaps up to a year. However, he warned that the sustainability of this majority will depend on the ability of the ruling party to meet high public expectations and demonstrate real results in a short time.