ITN are showmen and what they plan to put on is a show. Political scientist Hristo Panchugov made such a comment to BNR after Slavi Trifonov's party received the third exploratory mandate to form a government.
"It is entirely pre-election. All the clichés we've heard - about reason, about priorities, about the agenda, are more of an attempt to justify the fact that these conversations will happen.
Panchugov commented on the words of Toshko Yordanov, according to whom it was established that ITN had no disagreements on priorities with PP-DB, after talks were held with the coalition without the presence of cameras.
"ITN and PP-DB are the two formations that have the most to lose from the upcoming elections.
This is an attempt to calm this conflict that has been operating for the past few months, and to replace the personal conversation with one about priorities.
I doubt that anyone in ITN really believes that a parliamentary majority can be found at this very moment. I do not think that PP-DB could accept the priorities of ITN, among which is dropping the idea of adopting the euro in Bulgaria. I don't think there is any real alternative to going to the polls in September.
This will be an attempt to point out a culprit. "Populism is becoming the only narrative that has any role in ITN's election strategy.
Panchugov also commented on the distribution of forces in the DPS:
"Purely formally and before the court, Mr. Peevski represents the DPS. This creates many hypotheses about the conflict with Dogan, as well as about who will have the right to register the lists in the CEC in the next early parliamentary elections.
I don't think that anyone in Bulgaria has doubts that DPS is Ahmed Dogan. The electoral support structure is built in a way that recognizes this. Mr. Peevski's influence is on other lines.
The fact that the BSP did not get the third term, the political scientist counts as a "well-measured blow from the presidency".
"The refusal to recognize themselves as adequate in this situation is an attempt to strengthen the trend of decline in support for the party and to transform this into a new political project of which we suspect the president.
Panchugov also analyzes the words of Atanas Atanasov, according to whom consolidation is possible around a suitable figure for prime minister:
"If such a figure existed, we would have seen it by now. This is an expression of his great reluctance to go to the elections in view of the condition in which not only the DB but also the PP find themselves.