Was he sleeping or was he texting? That was the question that triggered heated debates online as Bulgarians saw a picture of their prime minister, his head dropped to his chest, at the Nobel ceremony in Oslo.

A sign, albeit innocent at first sight, of Boyko Borisov's eroding popularity.

Small wonder rumors say he is planning to promote an ally to take over his post after next year's elections, while remaining on the sidelines as a parallel authority.

But Borisov knows he should be more than careful in his staff policy as it has often been a washout with dire consequences. Suffice it to mention Kalina Ilieva, former head of an agency overseeing hundreds of millions of euros in EU farm aid, who was disgraced over a fake diploma.

Kalina – meaning ladyfly in Bulgarian – turned into a metaphor of the legion of allies promoted only to act as reps – not to say puppets – of those who hold the real power and pull the strings.

Three years ago Kristalina Georgieva proved the perfect candidate for European Commissioner not least because she did not come from the tainted Bulgarian political circles.

Thus Georgieva salvaged Bulgaria and Borisov.

Will she do it again?