"EU funds are being syphoned off under their noses and they are pretending not to notice," he says, pointing out that Borisov's party belongs to the powerful centre-right European People's Party (EPP) grouping. The group has coordinated street blockades, traffic go-slows, even tomato-throwing at certain politicians -- anything to try to keep momentum going. His GERB party said Radev, who was nominated for the post by opposition Socialists, was stoking a political crisis. The health and social care systems are in urgent need of reform and "corrupt to the core," she says. Riot police and protesters clash in Bulgaria as corruption crisis deepens. Public anger escalated following prosecutor raids on the offices of two of the Bulgarian president’s staff as part of investigations, which many saw as a targeted attack on President Rumen Radev, a vocal critic of the government. Bulgaria, which joined the European Union in 2007, has been struggling to root out high-level corruption. The current anti-government protests can only be understood in light of the 2013 anti-corruption protests and their aftermath. SOFIA (Reuters) - Thousands of Bulgarians, frustrated with endemic corruption, protested on Saturday for a third day in a row, demanding the resignation of the centre-right government of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the country’s chief prosecutor. Georgi Georgiev, 47, is a small business owner from the country's north-west, the most deprived region of what is anyway the European Union's poorest country. “I’m sick and tired of being governed by a bunch of uneducated, greedy and corrupt politicians. A vast majority of Bulgarians — 80 percent — see graft as widespread and another 78 percent think the only way to succeed in business is to have political connections, according to a 2019 Eurobarometer poll on corruption.
Borissov, the leader of center-right GERB party, has dominated the political landscape for more than a decade. At another demonstration Saturday on the Black Sea coast near Burgas, hundreds of Bulgarians demanded access to a public coastline near the summer residence of Ahmed Dogan, a businessman and senior member of the ethnic Turkish MRF party.
Borissov, the leader of center-right GERB party, has dominated the political landscape for more than a decade. At another demonstration Saturday on the Black Sea coast near Burgas, hundreds of Bulgarians demanded access to a public coastline near the summer residence of Ahmed Dogan, a businessman and senior member of the ethnic Turkish MRF party.
Borissov, the leader of center-right GERB party, has dominated the political landscape for more than a decade. At another demonstration Saturday on the Black Sea coast near Burgas, hundreds of Bulgarians demanded access to a public coastline near the summer residence of Ahmed Dogan, a businessman and senior member of the ethnic Turkish MRF party.
Police arrested 18 people late Friday after scuffles during the anti-corruption protests, but the demonstration Saturday was largely peaceful. Protests against what many called “state capture” and “mafia-style” rule were held in several other cities in the Balkan country. SOFIA — Riot police and protesters clashed on Wednesday in a significant escalation of street demonstrations against Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov that have been running for almost two months.
The next general elections are due in spring 2021.
While the beach is ostensibly public, in reality access is controlled by a well-connected lawmaker, and a fracas soon played out between Ivanov and the politician's security. Summers should be relaxed, with vacations at the seaside and little interesting news. Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by David Clarke and Leslie Adler. Frustrated with what he saw as the prevailing lethargy in Bulgaria, he and two friends became an activist trio who throw out suggestions for new protest actions. Ana Dimitrova, a 51-year-old doctor at the protest, wanted a change in leadership. Demonstrators have gathered in Sofia every evening since early July to protest a decline in the rule of law and state capture by oligarchs. One of the faces Bulgarians have become most used to during the protests is telegenic 48-year-old lawyer Nikolay Hadjigenov, who can often be seen addressing demonstrators. The protest was styled as the "grand national uprising" to mock Borissov’s plan to convene a Grand National Assembly, a type of super-parliament with extra lawmakers, to rewrite the constitution. "EU funds are being syphoned off under their noses and they are pretending not to notice," he says, pointing out that Borisov's party belongs to the powerful centre-right European People's Party (EPP) grouping. The group has coordinated street blockades, traffic go-slows, even tomato-throwing at certain politicians -- anything to try to keep momentum going. His GERB party said Radev, who was nominated for the post by opposition Socialists, was stoking a political crisis. The health and social care systems are in urgent need of reform and "corrupt to the core," she says. Riot police and protesters clash in Bulgaria as corruption crisis deepens. Public anger escalated following prosecutor raids on the offices of two of the Bulgarian president’s staff as part of investigations, which many saw as a targeted attack on President Rumen Radev, a vocal critic of the government. Bulgaria, which joined the European Union in 2007, has been struggling to root out high-level corruption. The current anti-government protests can only be understood in light of the 2013 anti-corruption protests and their aftermath. SOFIA (Reuters) - Thousands of Bulgarians, frustrated with endemic corruption, protested on Saturday for a third day in a row, demanding the resignation of the centre-right government of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the country’s chief prosecutor. Georgi Georgiev, 47, is a small business owner from the country's north-west, the most deprived region of what is anyway the European Union's poorest country. “I’m sick and tired of being governed by a bunch of uneducated, greedy and corrupt politicians. A vast majority of Bulgarians — 80 percent — see graft as widespread and another 78 percent think the only way to succeed in business is to have political connections, according to a 2019 Eurobarometer poll on corruption.
Borissov, the leader of center-right GERB party, has dominated the political landscape for more than a decade. At another demonstration Saturday on the Black Sea coast near Burgas, hundreds of Bulgarians demanded access to a public coastline near the summer residence of Ahmed Dogan, a businessman and senior member of the ethnic Turkish MRF party.
"We have lit a spark and for the first time civil society is emerging in Bulgaria," he tells AFP with a smile. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. That seems out of reach given that two opposition parties refused to support it. "Before people voted with their feet and left if they didn't see a future in Bulgaria," says Ivanov, who was himself a minister in a previous Borisov government before starting his own anti-corruption party. The EPP also counts German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) as a member. Borissov's moves are more short term. Protesters, who chanted “Mafia” and “Resign” on Saturday, accuse Borissov’s third government and chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev of deliberately delaying investigations into links between graft-prone officials and local oligarchs. | Valentina Petrova/AP. In a nod to his support for the protesters outside, Radev added, "This just goes to show that the actual parliament is out on the streets. The rally started early, at 8 a.m., and was planned to coincide with the Bulgarian parliament returning to session after the summer break. Europe. and "Out with the mafia!" In mid-August, in an attempt to defuse public anger, Borissov said he would step down once the lawmakers agreed to elect a Grand National Assembly to amend the constitution. The faces of the protesters are as diverse as the country itself and they all share one aim: forcing the resignation of conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov as a first step to cleaning up public life. “The close ties between oligarchs, shady businessmen and media are increasingly becoming more and more apparent.”. "Mothers are hostages and don't have any choice but to leave work" in order to care for their children, says Ivanova, sporting a black T-shirt with the name of the NGO she co-founded with other mothers: "The System Is Killing Us.". They comprise NGO workers, lawyers, IT experts and others who have created a space to exchange ideas which they compare to the famous Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park. “Your escape won’t save you from disgrace,” he told GERB lawmakers, as they were leaving the hall, shortly before the start of his address to the parliament. Dozens of people were taken to the hospital and several were detained by police. “My son has been living abroad for the past 10 years. The protesters are incensed by the country's rampant graft and argue the two men have allowed powerful oligarchs to take control of core institutions such as the judiciary and abuse them for personal gain. At the risk of oversimplifying things, Bulgaria’s mass protests can generally be divided into social movements and, distinct from this, protests against establishment corruption. Reading awkwardly from a scripted text, Borissov announced his plan to “restart the country” by offering a list of reforms, including halving the number of parliamentary deputies to 120, and overhauling the judiciary.
