A raid on the offices of the Bulgarian president and the arrest of two of his employees in July proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Compared with neighbouring Romania, Bulgarians have been more reluctant to take to the streets in recent years with the last major protests being in 2013. However, this act and the events that preceded it has resulted in on-going demonstrations in the centre of Sofia that are currently in their ninth week.
Hristo Ivanov, a former justice minister in Borisov’s second government now turned vocal critic can, in particular, be credited with successfully mobilising the widespread dissatisfaction that had long been simmering. The protestors are demanding the resignation of the government of Boyko Borisov, his third and the only one so far not to end prematurely, and the appointment by President Rumen Radev of a caretaker government to oversee early elections. In addition, they call for the departure of General Prosecutor Ivan Geshev, as well as reforms to address longstanding failures regarding the rule of law.
After the ruse of a cabinet reshuffle failed to assuage his opponents, on August 14 prime minister Boyko Borisov proposed calling a Grand National Assembly and reforming the constitution for the first time since 1991. In particular, he suggested reducing the number of Members of Parliament from 240 to 120, in addition to a number of other amendments, including the troubling removal of the preamble of the current Constitution which states that the supreme principle governing Bulgaria is human rights and the dignity and security of its citizens. Journalists have been quick to deride the grammar and spelling mistakes riddling Borisov’s proposed draft and errors in the description of Bulgaria’s coat of arms.
