Opinion
Bulgarian
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text sizeBulgaria’s Political Elite Have Got What They Deserve
Ivan Krastev
Political analyst
It was generally assumed that the people of Bulgaria are so disgusted with voting and so sick and tired of “alternatives” that they wouldn’t even try to think of casting their ballot. But the unusually high voter turnout proved that any attempt to play games disregarding the rules ends with a crying game. The Bulgarians finally realized that if they don’t vote, they wouldn’t be a factor in choosing the government of their own country, nor the way it is governed. GERB is the only party, that was confident in the outcome of the election, and this indeed had a positive effect on the results.
It is true that the recent statement of MRF leader Ahmed Dogan have flared radical emotions in Bulgaria, however, people have not voted for the radical alternative. They haven’t cast their ballots either for the ultranationalist Ataka or for the rightist Law, Order and Justice. Yet they did send a clear signal to Dogan that MRF may be punished if other parties rise to power.
It is high time for the political parties in Bulgaria to re-read the election results and grasp that these results are a mirror of the results of their own rule, not the campaigning of the last 30 days before the elections.
Political analyst
It was generally assumed that the people of Bulgaria are so disgusted with voting and so sick and tired of “alternatives” that they wouldn’t even try to think of casting their ballot. But the unusually high voter turnout proved that any attempt to play games disregarding the rules ends with a crying game. The Bulgarians finally realized that if they don’t vote, they wouldn’t be a factor in choosing the government of their own country, nor the way it is governed. GERB is the only party, that was confident in the outcome of the election, and this indeed had a positive effect on the results.
It is true that the recent statement of MRF leader Ahmed Dogan have flared radical emotions in Bulgaria, however, people have not voted for the radical alternative. They haven’t cast their ballots either for the ultranationalist Ataka or for the rightist Law, Order and Justice. Yet they did send a clear signal to Dogan that MRF may be punished if other parties rise to power.
It is high time for the political parties in Bulgaria to re-read the election results and grasp that these results are a mirror of the results of their own rule, not the campaigning of the last 30 days before the elections.
