Bulgaria has a new government
After almost 10 months with an interim government, Bulgaria now has a regular cabinet once more. An coalition between the two pro-Western but hitherto irreconcilable parties Gerb-SDS and PP-DB has chosen Nikolay Denkov (PP-DB) as prime minister. In nine months' time he will be succeeded by former EU Commissioner Maria Gabriel (Gerb), who will be foreign minister in the meantime.
The lesser evil
There is plenty of potential for conflict but the new governing coalition is nevertheless the best possible option, says Webcafé:
“In fact this was the only solution to get the country out of the cycle of snap parliamentary elections every few months. No political formation was able to present a better option for governing the country. This is the lesser evil. ... The alliance between the PP-DB and Gerb-SDS, which until recently were hostile to each other, gives hope that the country can be governed, albeit against the backdrop of the many obstacles and pitfalls that lie ahead.”
Taking disenchantment with politics to the next level
There is no pleasing the Bulgarian electorate, comments columnist Ivaylo Ditchev on the Bulgarian service of Deutsche Welle:
“We waited for a year for a new government, the pollsters saw the growing impatience of the electorate, the doomsayers were already predicting the collapse of the state without a government. Yet lo and behold, after much wrangling a compromise acceptable to both conflicting parties, albeit temporary, was reached; decent ministers were chosen. And what is the public reaction? Disgust. ... The problem is that the morally disgusted citizens have become so used to turning their backs on politics that they are already making it easy once more for the practising politicians.”