„He is a patriot - his soul gives
for science, for freedom;
but not your soul, brethren,
and the soul of the people!
And it's worth it to everyone,
only, you know, for the steam,
as a person - what to do?
he also sells his soul.“
(Hristo Botev)
The deep political crisis the country has fallen into is obvious to everyone. It is also recognized by the main suspects for its emergence and deepening – politicians from all parties, wings and wings of the political spectrum. It is increasingly being said that the political crisis may turn into a constitutional crisis. If this time – no, it will most likely happen next time.
There are two myths about the causes of the crisis and two illusions about the ways out of it, which are spread from morning to night by known and unknown “specialists”.
The first myth is that the ego of the leaders of the leading parties prevents them from sitting at the same table and understanding each other in the name of Bulgaria. Most of them are really simple people and ego plays an important role in their behavior, but not as important as the money that lubricates the political machine.
The second myth is that even the worst regular government is better than the best caretaker government. In fact, with the current disposition of forces in Bulgarian politics, both are equally hostage to behind-the-scenes interests. It doesn't really matter whether the prime minister will be elected after ugly bargaining in the National Assembly or will be named out of nowhere by the president according to the “home book”. In both cases, he will not lead politics, but will satisfy interests.
Belief in myths naturally breeds trust in illusions.
The first illusion is that the political leaders may finally put aside their personal ambitions and come to an understanding for the sake of Bulgaria. The image of Bulgaria for them is not associated with the ever-decreasing number of children and the miserable elderly, but with the billions from public procurement, from the Recovery Plan and other European funds, with the customs channels. This image does not evoke love, but deep hatred and strife.
The second illusion is that the political process can be unleashed by formal amendments to the constitution – majoritarian elections, mixed system, presidential republic. How harmful such an illusion is shown by the “rape” of the constitution by GERB, PP-DB and DPS (the whole, before the new beginning), which led to the current blockade of the National Assembly, which supposedly elects its chairman, but actually elects the prime minister.
We are actually observing two overlapping processes.
The first is the increasingly fierce struggle for positions between the various oligarchic groups that, through power, are draining Bulgaria's resources. The informal coalition GERB-DPS, which ruled for more than a decade, had managed to channelize the process and direct the money flows in the state to the coffers of its leaders and the economic circles close to them. The change has literally and figuratively shuffled the cards and opened up new appetites for power and money that are increasingly difficult to satisfy.
The second is the total crisis of representative democracy. Even the staunchest supporters of the various political leaders have already realized that they are only protecting their own interests and the interests of the circles close to them. The refusal of the majority of Bulgarian citizens to vote is due to the understanding that there is no political entity to protect their interests.
These processes explain why the formation of a ruling coalition in our country has become a task of increased, even insurmountable difficulty. In the conditions of a functioning representative democracy, the coalition is a balance between different public interests. In today's Bulgarian parliament, the coalition must unite irreconcilable personal and group appetites, which in their totality are impossible to combine.
It is no coincidence that the party-political bacchanalia has recently been raging at unprecedented rates. Emerging political projects are about to surpass the number of newly registered companies in the commercial register. It is curious to make a comparison between the driving mechanisms of the political game and economic activity. Every economic crisis is preceded by a stock market boom that shoots stock prices to unprecedented heights. Similar inflation of the “bubble“ there is also in the real estate sector before the prices start to collapse. Everyone buys like last – stocks, bonds, gold, real estate, anyone can do whatever they want. Then comes the day of sobering up.
Similarly, the political “exchange“ attracts more and more easy money seekers. Interests are increasing, and the stakes are constantly being raised. Certainly, the profits that the players expect to distribute are already greater than the gross domestic product of Bulgaria for not one, but many years to come. It is inevitable that the bubble will burst and many of the gamblers will drink a glass of cold water. The big danger is that if we don't stop them in time, all Bulgarian citizens will drink the cold water from jugs and tubes.
In order for a real positive change to occur in the functioning of the Bulgarian state, the political system must get out of the matrix of clichés that marked the entire transition in our country and transform into a representative democracy. This means political parties start doing what they are supposed to do – to represent and protect the interests of different social strata and population groups.
The restart of the political system can begin with the creation of one or more parties that meet the criterion of “representativeness”. The process can be aided by the large trade organizations gaining courage and giving the order for the creation of political entities that recognize the interests of their members. It is not so important who will be the initiator, but what will be the result. And it must be the return of the Bulgarian voters to the polls and the resuscitation of the expiring democracy.
Valentin Saykov