Growing Older, Not Wiser

Novinite Insider » EDITORIAL | February 11, 2005, Friday // 00:00
Growing Older, Not Wiser Seconds after the government survived the opposition's non-confidence vote, FinMin Velchev (L) and ex-Parliamentary Speaker Gerdzhikov (C) shook hands with PM Simeon Saxe-Coburg. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (SNA)

By Milena Hristova

The weeklong labours of Bulgaria's ruling coalition to stay in office delivered its survival on Friday. A predictable and prosaic ending of a story that only came to show that history repeats itself - former king and prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg comes out of the crisis stronger than before, the right-wing opposition supporters feel betrayed, while the continent's most successful Muslim politician, the leader of the ruling coalition junior partner Ahmed Dogan proves his abilities as the back seat ruler.

We can take the political storm, unleashed by the flopped sale of the tobacco monopoly Bulgartabac, for a sign of a mature democratic system, as suggested by the head of the European Commission Delegation here Dimitris Kourkoulas.

Or can we?

It would have been nice to see a valuable alternative offered to the behind-the-scenes play and haggling that predetermined Friday's vote with a little help from the New Timers friends. (Latest reports say the faction of young mavericks wants one Cabinet post to its outfit to ensure the government stays in power.)

The opposition forces however, who tabled the non-confidence motion, offered pale arguments in their defense, blasting Saxe-Coburg for what they claim is stalled privatization, failed health system reform, raging corruption and crime. The incumbents, in their turn, kept on spinning their own yarn, citing long lists of exploits and figures.

The only breath of fresh air was offered on Thursday by the political caste performance on the parliamentary stage - yellow-coloured T-shirt give-away, multimedia presentations, interspersed with quotes and proverbs that were meant to prove the government's "inability to rule Bulgaria".

An anemic attempt to bridge the rift between politicians and the people they represent. It seems like it has never been that wide for the last four years.

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