2015 has been a difficult year for Bulgaria and for the entire world. It has been marked by a series of military conflicts, refugee crises, terrorist attacks, elections, a referendum and various street protests.

The crisis in the Middle East has deepened and the fight against ISIS has intensified. It resulted in unabated refugee flows and thousands of economic migrant flooded Europe. Meanwhile, the terrorist activity in Europe has intensified, too.

“Bulgaria has received and registered enough refugees until now. In terms of Bulgaria’s gross domestic product per capita ratio, we have fulfilled most of our international obligations. We did not oppose the refugee quotas, because the quota system alleviates some of the pressure over given member states, but we also stated that the quota system is no solution to the refugee problem”, Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Daniel Mitov said during the annual report of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The refugee issue has been a subject of debates throughout the whole year in Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s President Rossen Plevneliev even summoned an extraordinary sitting of the Consultative Council on National Security on November 10.

“A possible increase of the migratory flow towards and through Bulgaria is the most topical and immediate risk over this country. The risk of terrorist attacks in Europe has risen. European citizens are fighting for the Islamic State and for other terrorist groups. Our main priority is to protect our state borders”, President Plevneliev said.

The topics regarding terrorism and migrant flow have become even more distinct after the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. British Prime Minister David Cameron paid an official visit to Bulgaria. Mr Cameron and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov discussed three important topics: the reforms within the European Union, the fight against terrorism and the refugee crisis. On December 4, Premiers Borissov and Cameron visited the Lesovo border checkpoint at the Bulgaria-Turkey border. David Cameron was satisfied with Bulgaria’s efforts to protect the EU external border.

The international community showed in the recent months that it was prepared to fight vigorously against the Islamic State. On November 24 Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet. Turkey announced that it downed the Russian jet, because that plane had violated the Turkish airspace. Russia was among the countries which takes active part in the fight against ISIS. The sharp conflict between Russia and Turkey reverberated throughout the world, Bulgaria included. The leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms Lutvi Mestan read from the National Assembly rostrum a declaration in support of Ankara.

“The fact that in the past month the Russian military aviation has been violating the Turkish airspace is indisputable. The violation of the airspace and the sovereignty of any NATO member state are equal to the violation of the airspace and the sovereignty of the North-Atlantic alliance itself”, Lutvi Metain pointed out.

The honorary chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms Ahmed Dogan criticized Lutvi Mestan for his policy of convergence with Erdogan’s regime in Turkey. At the end-of-year celebrations Ahmed Dogan announced to the party elite that the MRF needed to be renewed, underlining that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms could not be altered even with the support of neighboring countries. As a result, the now former leader Mestan was expelled from all positions at the party on his birthday - December 24. Ahmed Dogan sent another message, too: “This will be the fate of anyone standing against Bulgaria’s national interests”.

“Freedom, Sancho is one of the most precious gifts heaven gave to men. I have nothing to be ashamed of. They will not succeed in building an image of the traitor with my personality”, Lutvi Mestan said afterwards.

Mestan and another three MPs from the MRF are to leave the parliamentary group of the party and become independent members of the Bulgarian National Assembly. Time will show whether Lutvi Mestan will establish a new political party.

In 2015 the Bulgarian policemen went out on unprecedented street protests. They blocked key roads in some of Bulgaria’s biggest cities. The policemen were protesting against the plans of the authorities to cut bonuses and other social benefits in the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior. As a result, the police protests ended successfully for them. Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov promised to provide enough money to the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense, but at the same time insisted that these ministries should make radical reforms, because they spend a lot of public financial resource. The lack of reform in Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior drove then Interior Minister Veselin Vuchkov to resign. He was replaced by Rumiana Bachvarova who also serves as Deputy Premier in the current cabinet. Rumiana Bachvarova also promised to make reforms in that ministry.

2015 has had to be the year of reforms in Bulgaria’s judiciary system, healthcare, pension system and the security sector. However, all political parties participating in the current cabinet wanted to perform successfully at the local elections which were also held this year. The Reformist Bloc wanted to make a restart of the national healthcare system, to make constitutional amendments related to the judiciary field. The Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABV) insisted on a reform in the pension system and the Patriotic Front has threatened repeatedly to lift their support, if the cabinet failed to make given reforms. The small parties ABV, The Patriotic Front and the Reformist Bloc were initially against the plans of the authorities to borrow a new state loan to the tune of EUR 8 billion. However, they were convinced by GERB party to vote in favor of that loan, despite the protests of the Bulgarian citizens against that new debt.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party was the only opposition party that opposed strongly the new debt. On the other hand the Movement for Rights and Freedoms voted in favor of the debt. That party has been trying throughout the whole year to be an opposition party and at the same time to influence GERB’s policy line. GERB were aiming at a broad political support for topics regarding the constitutional reform, the anticorruption law, the referendum etc. At the recent local elections 21 out of all 27 newly-elected district mayors were GERB nominees. The Reformist Bloc won in 3 Bulgarian district cities. In Kyustenil the common nominee of GERB and the Reformist Bloc won convincingly at the first round. So did MRF’s nominee in Kardzhali. The leftist Bulgarian Socialist Party failed to win even in a single district city for the first time. 2015 will be also remembered with a referendum which was trimmed by its biggest supporters - GERB and the Reformist Bloc. The Bulgarian people answered yes to the question whether they approved electronic voting. However, the validity threshold was too high and the referendum failed. Nearly 40% of all Bulgarians cast their ballots at that referendum which sent the issue for further discussions at the National Assembly. In 2016 the Parliament is to discuss the results of the referendum and will put the question to voting.

It turned out that 2015 has been the year of difficult balance between partners in government with different political interests. The Fifth Amendment to the Bulgarian Constitution is now a fact. It was supported with the votes of 189 MPs. As a result, the Supreme Judicial Council was divided into two quotas and boosted the role of the judicial inspectorate. The apple of discord became the internal proportion of the quotas - The Reformist Bloc insisted that the number of the parliamentary representatives had to be higher and the ABV suggested that the number of those appointed by the Prosecutor’s Office should be higher and their proposal was supported at plenary hall.

“This voting was an important and symbolic step which proved the doubts that in Bulgaria we are to speak more often about supremacy of the Chief Prosecutor. That is why I can now announce with a great relief that I will no longer serve as a Minister of Justice and today I will make all necessary steps to resign”, former Minister of Justice Hristo Ivanov said from the National Assembly rostrum. The leader of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria Radan Kanev withdrew his support for the current cabinet right after Ivanov’s speech. As a result, hundreds of Bulgarians went out on street protests again.

“Let us say no to fear and let us not allow our silence to make us cowards. Let us all fight uncertainty and shout out aloud “Enough, No More”, the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Cassations Lozan Panov said.

Following the meeting between the parties from the Reformist Bloc and the five ministers appointed by the bloc, the Reformist Bloc decided to stay in government. The Democrats for Strong Bulgaria remained in opposition, but their Minister Peter Moscov did not resign and as a result, he abandoned the position of a Deputy Chairman of DSB.

“The Reformist Bloc confirms its participation in the ruling coalition. The Democrats for Strong Bulgaria stands on its recently announced position. We reaffirmed our confidence towards the Ministers of the Reformist Bloc”, Nayden Zelenogorski announced in a special declaration.

“Only the national sitting of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria can decide whether the party would exit the Reformist Bloc”, DSB leader Radan Kanev said and reminded that his party would not leave the Reformist Bloc. Thus, the government crisis turned into a storm in a teacup and created a world political phenomenon called “ruling opposition”.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov