51672 | 16 Sept. 2025 | 14:09
The new political season is marked by votes of no confidence, protests, and demands for resignations.
The vote is doomed. Party protests turn into a fiasco. Demands for resignations are thrown in the trash. The government appears stable. The parties in the ruling coalition - GERB, TISP, and BSP, are not generating scandals amongst themselves and have no interest in leaving the coalition. The cabinet is dependent on the support of MRF, which was once again confirmed by Delyan Peevski on the eve of the debates for the fifth vote of no confidence.
BUT THE TENSION IS BOILING.
People are tired of changes, they want a normal life, they want basic conditions for their everyday lives. The grumbling is currently expressed in complete distrust not only towards the entire political class, but also towards the party system.
Analysts are constantly discussing whether, when, and why we might have early elections again. It is possible, if: - a social shock relieves the accumulated tension; - a rift erupts between the government and citizens, provoked by potential involvement in the war or excessive engagement of Bulgaria in military actions, which goes against national interests; - a new political situation arises as a result of the presidential elections.
Of these three indicators, the most important and dangerous one at the moment is the social one.
THE WATER BOMB
One by one, cities in Bulgaria are falling victim to the merciless water crisis. After Pleven, Lovetch has also implemented a water schedule. In Bulgaria, every other drop is lost before it reaches the tap, making us the worst in the EU in terms of water losses in water supply systems.
As of September 15th, more than half of the 265 municipalities in the country - 137 are on a water schedule. 551 settlements do not have access to water, or every tenth one. Nearly 500,000 Bulgarians, as shown by data from "Green Movement", do not have constant access to water, guaranteed by the Constitution.
People are nervous, angry, resentful.
500,000 Bulgarians have every right to shout at the top of their lungs against the state. The government is acting slowly, sluggishly, heartlessly. The repairs of the aging water network have not yet started - projects are still being considered, approved and funded. Ministers are passing the buck around the country - meetings, plans, calculations, layoffs ... and in the end, nothing. Incompetence, corruption, negligence ... The disaster is a fact, and the anger is building up and ticking like a bomb.
The passing of responsibility between institutions, parties, and governments only aggravates the people. In Bulgaria, reactions are after the fact, and measures to prevent crises are almost in the nation's DNA. Powerful authorities do not make exceptions and this is costing Bulgarian citizens dearly.
The PRICE SHOCK
Technical processes for the introduction of the euro are going smoothly, but inflation is a fact and consumers are suspicious that the euro is pushing prices up. None of the government measures taken so far against the rise in prices have been effective. According to the National Statistical Institute (NSI), the differences between the prices announced by the State Commission for Commodity Exchanges and Markets (SCCEM) and the final consumer prices have reached up to 100%. This is absurd! The difference for yogurt is 30% and for cheese it is 70%. Isn't this a cartel? What are the Commission for Protection of Competition and the Commission for Consumer Protection doing? They asked for more power - they got it! They asked for more staff - they provided them! And now there is a 100% markup on food! Where is this happening? In Bulgaria, the minimum wage can buy the small consumer basket of 20 goods 9.7 times, in Germany it can do so 32 times, in Romania - 17 times, and in Spain - 22 times!
These are shocking facts, loaded with a social explosion.
SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
Prime Minister Zhelezkov reacts quickly to crisis situations. Today he summoned the National Water Board, which coordinates the actions to overcome the water crisis by 2025, as well as the efforts of all relevant institutions to prevent any future crises. The prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, and seven ministries must race against time to provide citizens with an adequate answer - how to live without water. The feeling that a smoke screen is being raised, but there are no results, makes citizens blame the institutions for inaction for years on end. Water and prices - a challenge for ministries headed by the BSP. "Goodbye, we will soon come to see you" is a threat to all those who govern us.
The escalating water crisis requires urgent and coordinated efforts from institutions, scientific and expert potential. Where are they, apart from the loud words?
The escalating price crisis requires drastic and uncompromising measures from the state. Where are they, apart from the threats?
"It's the economy, stupid" is the famous phrase by James Carville, a strategist for Bill Clinton's successful presidential campaign against George H. W. Bush in 1992. If we paraphrase this line today, we should focus on the human factor, and it would sound like this: "Water, electricity, and prices, stupid!" The human factor is the most important for every policy and every country. A successful campaign, in this case for the euro, is not created in comfortable conditions. Every government is created and operates under conditions of competition and showing good results for the people. No matter how stable the government is, it must first take into account this fact.
Economy decides the vote, not Radev or the CC-DB.
We are repeating ourselves whether Radev will form a party or not; whether Zhelezkov has emancipated himself from Borisov or not; whether Peevski and Borisov act in synchrony or not. This would not matter at all if the actions of the ruling party were in favor of the people. Because people vote primarily according to their own pocket - incomes, inflation, jobs, places in kindergartens, exodus of young people abroad.
Economy will decide the vote, not Radev.
The President is playing his game of division, by trying to provoke Borisov - either to throw in the towel or to rebel against Peevski. This option will destabilize the government and therefore is in favor of Radev, but not of Borisov and the ruling party. The probability of it being realized is minimal and the factor for this is Peevski.
However, it cannot be ruled out that a critical mass large enough may be awakened, demanding a decisive change in the status quo.
And this scale of public pulse must be measured carefully by the ministers if they want to have a full mandate. Not who said what in the morning TV block or what the headline was in "Capital" and "Dnevnik".
Water, electricity and prices will also reflect on the presidential elections. The candidate who most accurately taps into the people's moods and touches their pain will win.
BULGARIA SEEKS A CURE
The era of The Builder is over. Cutting ribbons is an outdated PR move and no longer has an effect.
Bulgaria is sick, divided, desperate, demotivated, and demoralized!
Bulgaria needs a PRESIDENT WITH A HUMAN FACE. A storyteller of the nation. A person with kindness, but passionate speech, with a huge soul and humanity. Not a warmonger, not a divisive figure...
A competent candidate plus stable party support is the formula for a successful future president.
After continuously unsuccessful calls by Borisov to the right-wing, it appears that GERB and MRF will run independently in the first round. Peevski will never support a candidate from CC-DB. And if they do manage to select a joint candidate, despite the upcoming difficulties and inevitable compromises, they will have to drink the bitter cup because the winds of change will not fill their sails.
However, GERB will need at least 700,000 more votes in order not to fulfill Borisov's prophecy that a left-populist candidate will win.
In BSP, the dilemma is: whose candidate will it be - Radev's or someone who will overlap with their choice. If Radev's candidate is someone else, and not Yotova, who undoubtedly has strong advantages, this will literally split the left vote.
The big question is what will Peevski do with his army of at least 500,000 voters. The leader of MRF-NB holds the key to the doors of "Dondukov" 2 in front of the future president. If Peevski makes it to the runoff - he will have the right to claim the top spot. If he comes in third - the final result will depend on his votes. In both cases, he wins - without him, the presidential equation is unsolvable.
Peevski will determine the winner, but his choice will fall on a candidate with charisma and a will to win, who takes into account the interests of the Movement's electorate.
And once again we return to the beginning of this comment - whoever the candidate for president may be, they will have to answer how to live without water and with 100% price increases for food.
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