Bulgarian President Radev resigns
After the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's government in December, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev announced on Monday that he is also stepping down, but hinted that he plans to stay in politics and launch his own political party. There is now speculation that Radev, a known Eurosceptic, will run for the post of prime minister. The Bulgarian press takes stock.
Yet more instability?
An election victory for the Eurosceptic president could plunge Bulgaria into a new political crisis, warns e-vestnik:
“We can only hope that Radev will not take a radical stance against the EU and in favour of Russia. This would further exacerbate the political crisis and instability in Bulgaria. Many voters expect exactly that from him and would vote for him because of it. ... In any case, he would have to form a coalition with either Gerb [led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov] or [the opposition party] PP-DB. Without these two parties, and perhaps other parties too, he wouldn't be able to secure a parliamentary majority. In both cases, a coalition government would bring political uncertainty and internal contradictions.”
This could trigger a major shift
It could drastically alter the political balance of power if Radev takes part in the parliamentary elections, Kapital points out:
“It could jeopardise the leading position of the strongest political party at present, Gerb [led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov], and force some of the smaller parties out of parliament. This would happen if sociologists' predictions that Radev's candidacy in the parliamentary elections would increase voter turnout are proven right. ... The nationalist and pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane [Revival] could also lose votes, as some of its positions coincide with those of Radev. Another potential source of votes for his new party is the large number of non-voters.”