site.btaNormalisation of Political Process Is Observed in Bulgaria, NGO Says

Normalisation of Political Process Is Observed in Bulgaria, NGO Says

Sofia, September 1 (BTA) - There is a normalization of the political process in Bulgaria, the monthly analysis for August of the Institute for Right Policy says. The report was presented at the BTA Press Club hosted on Tuesday.

About half a year ago the institute established that the main opposition in Bulgaria during the transition (communism-anti-communism) was being transformed into an opposition between liberal and conservative ideas. This is actually the normalization. It is still in progress but serious steps in this direction can be seen, Neno Dimov of the institute said.

At the end of July, the Bulgarian political system experienced dynamic events, mostly related to the reform in the judicial system. According to the analysis, the revisions to the Constitution are a step in the right direction. However, they do not solve the problems, they are just the first step that has to be taken by political leaders who should focus on improving the work of the court and on guaranteeing justice for the citizens.

According to the experts, the participation of the Movement of Rights and Freedoms (MRF) in the act of tabling the revisions is a symbolic act, deliberately undertaken by MRF leader Lyutfi Mestan,. MRF is the unquestioned winner in the 'historic compromise", they say.

No matter how many changes the negotiation of constitutional revisions underwent, it was quite logical and would have been pointless if the Reformist Bloc had gone through with its decision to support to the last the initial proposals of Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov. In the opinion of the institute, this means the bloc has finally turned right and has discarded the initial idea of being before left or right.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) is in the most difficult position because its leadership is going along the flow of the period of transition and has missed the chance to replace MRF in the main role during the negotiations and after.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov again succeeded in gaining the upper hand and managed to take the role of leader of changes and a balancing role between the various players.

The changes practically made the thesis of floating majorities legitimate. This will definitely ensure the stability of the incumbent until the end of the mandate. There could be extraordinary elections only if Borissov wants them, the analysts say.

The institute also analyses the condition of the parties: GERB demonstrating complete readiness and being the obvious favourite in the campaign, MRF traditionally well organized and focused on total dominance in mixed regions and the BSP's demonstrative "hardening" being a symptom of loss of identity. The Reformist Bloc is at a crossroads again and will doubtless undergo some transformation after the elections.

ABV is still developing along two lines (that of President Georgi Purvanov and that of the other significant figures in the formation), while Ataka has been demonstrating a passive conduct since the parliamentary elections and participation of local government will definitely not be its priority.