Bulgarian elections 2009: Bulgarians hungry for change

After fifteen year since I left Bulgaria, I returned back to the country in August this year to visit friends I left behind.

It also was an opportunity for me to revisit the country and see the way the country has changed after the fall of communism. In Sofia the capital, I stayed at my friend’s apartment Dr. Stefan who is a teacher at the New Bulgarian University where he teaches Law. His apartment located in Mladost, a suburb in south Sofia, is a communist style square block of a grey colour.

However during my visit, the country was voting for the legislations and European elections. I was interested to see the way elections were being held as the country has a reputation of having corrupt politicians, which during the election time they use all means including murder to eliminate their opponents.

These elections were expected to bring sanity into the Bulgarian polity, thus the new government to come with a policy that can tackle and root out corrupt elements from the government institutions, therefore make the government transparent and accountable to the people. Bulgarians wanted the new elected government to push for the necessary reforms to strengthen law and order in the country and win the trust of Europe and international financial institutions abroad.

This is because successive past governments of the last twenty years have promised to finish with corruption in the country but they have not succeeded, forcing people to loose confidence in politicians. In the past ministers, security agents, judges have been involved in financial scandals involving millions of Euros from Europe.

Funds allocated for social projects and economic development was used for personal purposes. During the campaign the outgoing socialist government of Prime Minister Serguei Stanishev was accused of embezzlement of funds from Europe that were set for the construction of the main motorways. The elections were a two horse race between the Bulgarian Socialist Party, ex communist, in coalition with the Movement for Rights and Freedom of Ahmed Dogan (Turkish minority) and the Citizen for European Development for Bulgaria of Boyko Borissov, former mayor of Sofia from the opposition. These two coalitions invested millions of leva, the local currency to win the elections.

At a meeting that I attended at the New Bulgarian University, organised by a group of intellectuals including teachers, politicians, students and members of different areas of the society arrived at the conclusion that the first task of the new elected Social Democrat government of Boyko Borisov is to focus on tackling corruption from the inception of his government.

Furthermore restore the confidence that has been deposited to him by the Bulgarian people. Outline a clear vision and priorities that will enhance the lives of millions of Bulgarian who have been affected by the bad management of the defeated Socialist government and aggravated by the world financial crunch. Because of the high level of corruption in government and financial institutions characterised by bad management of funds, the new government have a long way to go before they can get the long awaited results.

People expectations for the new government are to change the way politics have been done in the past, raise salaries of workers which today are less than £200 per month. Bulgarian to be able to get hospital treatment, medicines, travel transport, housing and other necessary services at an affordable price. The new government must also take care of new mothers, the young and unemployed and elderly people.

Many studies have concluded that successive governments in post communism Bulgaria have failed to deliver on people’s expectations.

Political parties made promises which they were unable to fulfil. The question people are today asking is will the Social Democrat government of Boyko Borissov meet the people’s demand of change in their fortune, let us wait and see and judge him at the end of his four year mandate.

By Costa Makuntuala