Although this is only KQuarterly's second edition, it already became a tradition that we hit the newsstands just days before the next Bulgarian elections. The first issue came just before the presidential elections; the second issue will be published before the parliamentary elections. This, of course, is unintended. Bulgaria has been riding a political roller coaster since 2013, with OMG moments all the time and steep turns every year and a half. As it seems now, the turns will become even more frequent, some forecasts predict election after election throughout the whole year.
Since the ousting of the GERB cabinet in 2013 the governments in Bulgaria have had few months to achieve anything tangible. Yet, the Bulgarian economy has been one of the fastest growing in the EU. Economic fundamentals like real GDP growth, fiscal surplus (p.28), record current account balance (p.30) and falling unemployment show that Bulgaria is quite resilient to political shocks. Imagine what would have been achieved if there was a stable government with a pro-reform agenda, as several articles in the magazine ponder. Without such a government and supporting parliamentary majority it is difficult to remove the roadblocks that prevent Bulgaria from move ahead faster - corruption, ineffective judiciary (p.36), rising inequality (p.18) and failing educational system (p.16)
Most probably the upcoming elections will not produce the much desired political outcome. The most likely coalitions (p.2 and p.8) will be driven by nationalistic and populist sentiments, which will do nothing to propel Bulgaria ahead.
Although this is only KQuarterly's second edition, it already became a tradition that we hit the newsstands just days before the next Bulgarian elections. The first issue came just before the presidential elections; the second issue will be published before the parliamentary elections. This, of course, is unintended. Bulgaria has been riding a political roller coaster since 2013, with OMG moments all the time and steep turns every year and a half. As it seems now, the turns will become even more frequent, some forecasts predict election after election throughout the whole year.
Since the ousting of the GERB cabinet in 2013 the governments in Bulgaria have had few months to achieve anything tangible. Yet, the Bulgarian economy has been one of the fastest growing in the EU. Economic fundamentals like real GDP growth, fiscal surplus (p.28), record current account balance (p.30) and falling unemployment show that Bulgaria is quite resilient to political shocks. Imagine what would have been achieved if there was a stable government with a pro-reform agenda, as several articles in the magazine ponder. Without such a government and supporting parliamentary majority it is difficult to remove the roadblocks that prevent Bulgaria from move ahead faster - corruption, ineffective judiciary (p.36), rising inequality (p.18) and failing educational system (p.16)
