Comment by Georgi Lozanov:
The cancellation of the participation in bTV of the young civil activist Martin Atanasov caused many reactions, all in his support. But not from the ruling party. Their silence on the case sounded strange, considering that Atanasov was put on the media's "black list" for a gesture of solidarity with the fired presenter Maria Tsantsarova. And she was removed after a gesture of solidarity with the civil protests of late 2025.
The new government has probably forgotten that it itself took over the government with all its might as a result of the enormous force of those protests (the largest since the beginning of the transition) that overthrew the previous government and set the priorities of the next one. If those in power do not remember this fully, a year later the wave of civil discontent may rise again.
The protests of late 2025 knew what they did not want
The protests of 2025 knew very well what they wanted. Or more precisely, what they no longer wanted: a budget with a high corruption risk; a government that is unable to fight endemic corruption and guarantee the integrity of public procurement; an oligarchic model of governance, in which significant public resources are distributed with impunity in favor of private interests through control of the judicial system.
The budget proposed by the government of Rumen Radev, which has already been adopted on first reading, has worse social indicators than the one that brought down the previous cabinet, point out right-wing opposition parties, economic experts, but also international institutes. In addition, it also includes a deficit, far beyond the criteria of the eurozone, which Radev, even as president, actually did not want us to enter at this stage. Critics of the proposed budget suspect that it is tendentiously inflated - in order, for example, to shift political responsibility onto the previous rulers and to justify the possible taking on a large debt again, again unclear for what exactly.
So far, no great successes have been noted in the government's fight against corruption. But at the same time, there is still the feeling that attempts are being made to dispel the doubts surrounding the Prime Minister related to the particularly unprofitable contract with the Turkish company "Botas". Its 15-month freeze, presented as a significant success, actually confirmed its unprofitability, as well as the impression of contradictory actions on the Bulgarian side.
The Peevski and "Magnitsky" case
The main demand of the protests - to dismantle the oligarchic model, which they associated with Peevski and Borisov, is also currently the subject of more of a post-election silence. The exception here is Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, who rightly assumes that the sanctions imposed by the US and UK on Delyan Peevski under the "Magnitsky" law is grounds for him to be investigated by local authorities for corruption, influence peddling, etc. It can be argued whether his private jet flights are the most direct way to gather suitable evidence, but in any case they raise the question of the origin of the funds with which they were paid. As well as whether contacts in a conflict of interest were made during them, including with representatives of the judiciary, of which Peevski is most often suspected.
Will Prime Minister Radev declare direct support for the battle launched by the Minister of the Interior? Media loyal to Peevski are taking advantage of the situation and competing to accuse Demerdzhiev of illegal actions and demand his resignation. At the same time, these publications do not hide their approval of Prime Minister Radev with the transparent aim of opposing him to the Minister of the Interior. Let's not forget that Peevski's MRF was the only opposition party to vote unanimously for the government's budget.
In societies that have nevertheless "overcome the burden", summer is not the time for protests, so Rumen Radev and his people have until winter to respond to the neglected expectations of citizens. Otherwise, it is very likely that the wave of civil discontent will rise again and fill the streets of Bulgaria with protesters.