Day 105 of Dwindling Bulgarian Anti-Govt Protests

Politics » DOMESTIC | September 26, 2013, Thursday // 20:14
Bulgaria: Day 105 of Dwindling Bulgarian Anti-Govt Protests While in June and July antigovernment rallies in Sofia reached tens of thousands, they have of late dwindled significantly in September - 100 people are demonstrating Thursday evening. Photo BGNES

Thursday marks the 105th day of a string of daily anti-government rallies gathering in Bulgarian capital Sofia.

People have assembled once again at Nezavisimost (Independence) Square in front of the Council of Ministers to request the resignation of the Cabinet of Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski.

Attendance (100 people currently) is much lower than in the summer peak, but protesters have managed to block traffic in the area and are pulling the metal fences around the building, the Focus news agency reports.

Riot policemen, wearing vests with the inscription "Anti-conflict Police," are talking to the demonstrators in an attempt to reason with them and move them away from the fences.

Protesters are holding banners "Resignation" and "Who Pulls the Strings in Bulgaria?", among others.

There is increased police presence near the Council of Ministries headquarters and near the building of the Parliament as the rally traditionally marches pass it.

The protests erupted June 14 upon the controversial appointment of media mogul Delyan Peevski as chair of Bulgaria' State Agency for National Security, DANS.

Peevski stepped down on the next day, but rallies continued, requesting the resignation of cabinet, which was just sworn in end of May following snap elections.

Some protesters have argued that the May 12 vote failed to produce an adequately representative parliament, and have requested new elections.

Just over half of Bulgarian voters cast their ballot; some 24% of those votes went for parties which did not make it past the 4% hurdle.

PM Oresharski's cabinet was elected one the mandate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and is supported by the liberal predominantly ethnic Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, along with the tacit backing of extreme nationalists Ataka.

Former ruling party, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, came out again first after the elections, but being isolated from others it did not manage to form a new cabinet.

Many protesters have stated that their rallies were also against GERB, whom they also see as implicit in a status quo of mingling between politics and shady business structures.

Minor parties on the right have assembled in a so-called Reformist Bloc in a bid to channel the protesters' demands.

While in June and July rallies in Sofia reached tens of thousands, they have of late dwindled significantly in September.

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Tags: Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Ataka, Socialist-led government, Independence square, Socialist, Plamen Oresharski, government, protests, parliament, rally, anti-government, Delyan Peevski, Prime Minister, Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, DPS, DANS

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