Demanding a better future

For more than three weeks now, tens of thousands of protesters have been marching through central Sofia, each day at 6:30 P.M. Their demands include the dismantling of the current government, which did not win the snap elections in May but barely managed to piece together enough members of parliament for a 51% majority. 

The political situation here has been ignored and under-reported not only in the foreign press but also at home. Many local media networks, most notably newspapers, omit any information about the protests from the headlines. Some television reporters have begun masking their identities and choosing not to display their network logos out of fear of retribution from angry protesters who resent the lack of accurate news coverage on the protests. However, the protests here have been largely peaceful, with no violent clashes with police as in Egypt and Turkey. 

The limited international news coverage of the situation in Bulgaria begs the question: "Is the world watching?" and if not, what happens next? The current government seems satisfied enough to carry on with business as usual while further protesters assemble outside the National Assembly during the workweek, and denies or plays down the protests' influence. The leader of the ultra-nationalist right wing "Ataka" party, whose neo-fascist, xenophobic and racist ideology is an ugly smear on Bulgaria's image within the European Union, began carrying a gun with him and declared his plans to make protesting "illegal." His inflammatory statements have already merited the creation of a new Facebook and Twitter hashtag, encouraging protesters to ignore him completely.

What could a long-term solution to this deep-rooted public anger be? 

"Bulgaria’s best hope is a technocratic government that reforms the judiciary, changes the electoral code, fights organised crime and corruption, and ends the opaque dealings of the government so that young, untainted and talented people find it attractive to enter politics." 
- The Economist

The people currently protesting down Tsarigradsko Shose, past Sofia University and towards the National Assembly are the future of this country. They are not only young people, but the majority of them are. Many of them want to stay here and raise their families here, despite the lure of better conditions abroad. They deserve the attention and support of the whole world, just like so many peaceful demonstrations before them.

"The world is on fire"

In case you haven't seen Bulgaria in the news headlines lately (which is usually the case, unfortunately) there have been massive protests all over the country, much like what is happening on now on the streets of Istanbul and Brasilia. You can follow the protests on Twitter with the hashtag #ДАНСwithme. 

For more information on the background of the current protests, and how they are different from the earlier ones that led to the resignation of the previous government back in February, read this blog post. An imploring and heartfelt open letter asking Europeans and others to help publicize the current situation can be read here. After a brief web search I came up mostly empty with current articles from the major international news agencies. Following the Twitter page and reading the English-language sites in Bulgaria (or better yet- Google translated versions of sites like Dnevnik) will probably remain the best ways to keep up with events until they get more international coverage.

Hence this blog post. If you are reading this outside of Bulgaria, please share information about the protests in Bulgaria with your friends or find a photo of the protests to share on Twitter. While I am in no way informed enough to make speculations about Bulgaria's political future, I do believe that the only way for Bulgarians to make their voices heard is by exercising their right to protest against the corrupt practices of the current government. And others can help support them by speaking out against political corruption and abuse everywhere. So please spread the word about Bulgaria and help the protesters make their voices even louder to the rest of the world.

Bulgarian-American Partnerships

Just a few tidbits on current Bulgarian-American political and economic relations:

Touring the United States ahead of the upcoming UN Summit, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev spoke about the Bulgarian economy on an American financial news program. Watch the interview here. The commentators didn't seem to know much about Bulgaria, except for rumors of high corruption, but President Plevneliev made plenty of references to recent statistics like Bulgaria's growing rate of GDP and decreasing budget-deficit in order to persuade them that the Bulgarian economy will pull out of the current slump soon.

I think that a lot of what he says is true- Bulgaria seems to be an attractive place to do business for investors (apart from the bureaucratic nightmare which accompanies nearly every official procedure) and there are many opportunities for growth in lots of sectors and industries.

In related news, the next U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria, Marcie Ries, released a YouTube clip (see above) in anticipation of her arrival here in Sofia after a few weeks. It will be interesting to watch new developments unfold as the American Embassy changes staff- most Foreign Service Officers and other diplomats serve three year terms and right now there is a big overhaul in process. I had the chance to meet a few new staff members last week, and it was exciting to see so much enthusiasm to promote mutual understanding between our two countries. I wish Mrs. Ries and the rest of her new team the best of luck here in Bulgaria!