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Is State Capitalism Marching On?
Within a brief period, Bulgaria’s government has aggressively injected billions of levs into key sectors, and has effectively started nationalizing businesses
Sick leave in Bulgaria: Everybody lies
The budgetary cost of paying out sick leave is rising fast but the ruling GERB party tried to solve the problem boorishly and with no solid arguments
Cracks under GERB’s feet
While local election results seemed to prove that the ruling party has survived a series of scandals and debacles, signs are that control is slipping through Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s fingers
Bulgaria’s new position at the European Commission
The portfolio of Mariya Gabriel comes with vast responsibilities and a considerable budget but no political weight.
The Battle for Sofia
After 14 years of undisputed GERB hegemony in Bulgaria’s capital city, Mayor Yordanka Fandakova finds a worthy opponent in ex-ombudsman Maya Manolova
The Oligarchs' Coffer
The state-owned Bulgarian Development Bank has morphed from a small and medium-sized business aide to a lender of last resort for unstable and sometimes unsavory large companies
Players to watch: Borissov’s demoted lieutenant
Tsvetan Tsvetanov, the senior lieutenant of GERB leader Boyko Borissov and parliamentary whip, fell from grace in less than three months because of Apartmentgate
GERB’s real (estate) troubles have just begun
A series of real estate scandals involving senior politicians, predominantly from the ruling GERB party or with ties to it, triggered hitherto unseen public outrage and serial resignations. The more profound effects are still to be felt
Boyko Borissov is stirred; but not yet shаken
Expectations that the May 2019 European Parliament elections would trigger a dramatic crisis of confidence in Bulgaria’s ruling GERB party following the real estate scandal did not materialize
TV masters and puppets
Bulgarian businessman Kiril Domuschiev is buying Nova TV in a purchase that will tighten the media grip of the ruling GERB party
Bulgaria embarks on a massive rearmament program without clear priorities
The process of selecting a new jetfighter for the Air Force has demonstrated the Ministry of Defense’s inability to manage complex projects
Rumen Radev steps up his game
The Bulgarian head of state has grown bolder as he enters the third year of his term but he is still some way from launching a new political project
Bulgarian parties gear up for election year
The European Parliament elections this spring will be a grand rehearsal for the local elections in the autumn – and possibly a snap vote
A dance with anti-liberalism
There are enough signals that Bulgaria is on the verge of joining the illiberal camp of Hungary and Poland in the EU, yet the government dare not take the final step
Bulgarian society is drifting between the discomfort of the status quo and the uncertainty of alternatives
Mistrust in institutions remains overwhelming
Players to watch: Fifty shades of Conservatives
Anti-liberal nativism is the new black on the Bulgarian political scene and this could cause serious trouble after the upcoming elections.
Behind the prosecution’s smokescreen
The sudden flurry of conspicuous law enforcement activities is a two-pronged campaign