Boyko Borisov made his first very expensive mistake , which is not too late to be corrected
Adelina Marini, June 11, 2009
It's sad when it appears that the light in the tunnel is coming from the quickly approaching train. In Bulgaria it seems there are more people than it is useful for the society, that suffer from complexes and greatness mania. Unfortunately I have to say that the head-light in the tunnel proved to be Boyko Borisov. What do I mean? In a moment when people are rebuffed by politics, are disappointed by the constant changes of governments, unrealised promises, power fights, vulgar rhetoric and many other similar things, the decision of Boyko Borisov, practically, to reject the hand offered by the Blue coalition means only one thing - Bulgaria will face hardships in the future not only political ones, but also economic. In fact both things always go hand in hand, so if we were until now scared by the impact of the financial and economic crisis and what the current tripartite coalition will leave for the next government, now we have to fear from the instability, caused by the lack of long term political confidence. And the situation, after a sober analysis looks like this:
In spite the self-confidence of Boyko Borisov that he has people that are prepared to rule, this is not quite true. If youth is one of the pluses of his team it is also a minus. Without any experience in government, the entering of these people in ministries and among the old dogs in parliament, dooms them to a long a painful learning of the rules of political game which is something Bulgaria cannot afford right now and people would not stand any longer. Because we shouldn't forget that the economic crisis is like puberty - if it comes later it doesn't mean that it will go away earlier and when the rest of the countries start recovering they will need people and here, in Bulgaria, many more people would want to leave their country.
On the other hand, the Blue coalition, as frightening for the prime minister Sergey Stanishev, as it may be, has the capacity and the memories of realised reforms. Yes, the reforms were painful but had long term positive effect. And, without forgetting the mistakes from the ruling of Ivan Kostov (1997-2001, which he also has to remember very well), we have to remember the basis his government laid, the reforms he started and could not finish because of the mistakes he never admitted.
The statement of Boyko Borisov that he will defeat the BSP (the Bulgarian Socialist Party) by himself and that the Blue coalition has gained less support at the European elections (7.96%) than the BSP and the DPS (the Turkish ethnic party), is ridiculous against the background of the many similarities in the election platforms of GERB and the Blue coalition. I'm afraid that the mayor of Sofia, so excited by his less than 25% of the votes, will score an won goal which will kick him out of politics for good exactly because of the abrupt movements he usually makes. And, to repeat it once more, patience is running out which makes the processes of disliking a political figure much quicker than what we're used to.
Besides, although as a journalist I admit the advertising effect of the lying in hospital bed mayor with his legs bandaged up, as a voter I don't care. I'm much more concerned about the fact that after 5th of July there won't be an alternative, that the parliament will be so diverse that the formation of a working government would be almost impossible. I'm horrified by the thought that the situation in the country, which I hardly stand, will worsen further - lack of order, lack of development, progress and stability. All this would become just a utopia. And why? Because Boyko Borisov has decided to play macho, to play the only one. In European politics, since Hitler and Stalin, there's no more one and only. Such monocracies are available only on countries with which the democratic world doesn't like to communicate with.
That is why I wish the leader of GERB to act as a leader and not like the most liked bad boy of the neighbourhood. It will be good for all of us. And it will even feed his own ego, for sure.
And the Blue coalition I call to be wise, if in some mysterious way it falls into the next government, to remember its mistakes from the past: the refusal to an honest conversation with media, the refusal to admission of mistakes, the refusal to point out the people that did wrong, the refusal to explain the actions which might have proved right in the future but this was understood by the experts only, not by the people.