From mid-2013 to mid-2014, a series of demonstrations were held in Bulgaria, mainly in the capital Sofia, against the left-wing coalition cabinet of Oresharski (coalition between Bulgarian Socialist Party and Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), supported by the ultra-nationalist party Ataka). The demonstrations started on 28 May 2013, Check protest against Cabinet 'Oresharski', Dnevnik, 28 May 2013 but actual large-scale protests did not emerge until 14 June.
While the trigger factor for the demonstrations was the controversial appointment of Delyan Peevski as head of DANS in June 2013, the public discontent stemmed from a variety of causes, to a large extent connected to the general nature of the BSP-MRF governing coalition and perceived legitimacy issues surrounding political processes in Bulgaria. They ended in July 2014 with the resignation of the Oresharski government.
Background
Following the 2013 Bulgarian protests against the Borisov cabinet of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov over government austerity measures encouraged by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund during the recession and high utility bills, the Borisov government resigned and brought forward the Bulgarian parliamentary election, 2013, which saw a very low voter turnout. Though Borisov's party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) won a plurality with 97 deputies in the National Assembly, it could not form a government and gave up its mandate. The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) led the government under technocratic Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski. The left-wing government of Plamen Oresharski was approved by the 120 members of the BSP and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Outside support to the Oresharski Government was also given by nationalist party Ataka, dubbed by some sources as the "hidden coalition partner", or Siderov's "golden finger", and regarded as a key instrument for allowing the Parliament to proceed with its functions, until June 2014.
On 12 May 2013, a group of more than 100 demonstrators alleging electoral machinations were involved in confrontations with police close to the National Palace of Culture after election day polls indicated that GERB was the projected winner. Mass protests for political causes are relatively uncommon in Bulgaria, but have become more frequent since the mid to late 2000s, with environmental issues such as the demands for the preservation of the Strandzha Mountain nature areas on occasions also triggering anti-establishment activism and discontent against governments.Prolet Velkova's discussion with Dimitar Vatsov and Evgeniy Daynov, Кой говори, Darik Radio, 8 September 2014, Retrieved 8 September 2014. In Badzhakov's contention, these were the third notable protests against the post-communist status quo in Bulgaria, the first ones encompassing the period between 1989-1991 and directed against the collapsing communist regime and the first democratically elected government that was formed by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, with the second ones opposing the Zhan Videnov government (as well as the possibility of another Socialist successor to it) and occurring as a result of an economic and political crisis between December 1996 and February 1997. Student occupations of universities had previously been considered in the autumn of 2010 (due to the Borisov government's policy in the realm of education) and in February 2013 (because of proposed increases in tuition fees for the semesters).
Timeline and Events in 2013 May: Environmental protests
Initially the demonstrations started as a protest by environmentalists and green activists against the nomination of Kalin Tiholov as Investment Planning Minister. Tiholov has been involved in the controversial "Dyuni-gate" affair, whereby he had invested in a major building project at the Dyuni ("dunes") nature spot on the Black Sea coast. The Brains of Dyunigate Kalin Tiholov becomes minister, Bivol, 27 May 2013. Retrieved June 2013. Dyuni-gate index, Bivol. Retrieved June 2013. Due to the protests Tiholov withdrew his candidature. Controversial Bulgarian Ministerial Nominee Withdraws amid Public Outcry, Novinite, 28 May 2013 Protests arose for a variety of topics, with most important the restart of the Belene Nuclear Power Plant and construction in protected areas.
On 30 May 2013, there was also public discontent against a government proposal (supported by Attack) to remove the smoking ban in restaurants and eateries. In December 2013, the Parliament voted against reversing the prohibition on smoking in enclosed spaces.
Summer months: focus on Peevski appointment and Protests for the resignation of Peevski as a head of DANS
The second series of protests had a far more political scope. These protests started on 14 June, as response to the election of Delyan Peevski as a head of the Bulgarian security agency DANS (State Agency for National Security). Peevski, an MP for the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), is also head of Alegro Capital LTD, a big communications company which includes the TV7 network. The decision to elect Peevski has also been linked to the Corporate Commercial Bank ("CCB" or "KTB", Bulg: КТБ), wherein much funding for state development projects is invested. The bank's largest shareholder, Tsvetan Vasilev, has been repeatedly linked in the public sphere to the media holdings of Peevski and his mother Irena Krasteva.Peevski is merely a decoy, Bulgaria's problem is CCB, Bivol.bg, 16 June 2013. Retrieved Oct 2013. The process of concentration of media ownership in Bulgaria in the hands of business and political oligarchies is believed to have really started in 2007, in part influenced by the economic crisis.
Peevski was approved by parliament within an hour of being nominated by the ruling coalition of Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and DPS. He was praised by Oresharski for "being outside the system" and thus likely to be effective in working for the interests of Bulgaria. His surprising election immediately provoked nationwide protests the same evening (10,000 in Sofia alone), organized through Facebook. The original facebook page referred to in the news article is here Over 80,000 people joined the "ДАНСwithme" group on Facebook between 14 and 15 June. Peevski initially subscribed to the viewpoint that the protests were not attributable to genuine popular level sentiments, but were orchestrated by forces that had reasons to fear future investigations by him.
Although the election was a surprise for the public, later investigations by newspaper Capital made clear that the appointment was not as spontaneous as claimed by BSP. In fact, it was carefully orchestrated and prepared long before BSP was able to form a cabinet. The appointment of Peevski caused widespread indignation. Even president Plevneliev spoke out against it and stated that the Cabinet of Prime Minister Oresharski has lost credibility.Bulgarian parliament elects media mogul as powerful security chief, stirring public outrage, Washington Post, 14 June 2013 On 14 June 2013, Plevneliev cancelled his intended visit to Vidin for the unveiling of the Danube Bridge 2 due to his disagreement with the Peevski nomination. He has received praise for being the only governing politician to come out publicly in support of the protesters. Political scientist Ivan Krastev commented that the Peevski appointment made sense only if the government had taken a decision for the country to leave the European Union. In the early phase of the protest, center-right politician and poet Edvin Sugarev began a hunger strike, though he was persuaded to discontinue it by family members after 22 days, as his worsening health condition necessitated a hospitalization.
Public anger was exacerbated by the fact that in the weeks and days leading up to Peevski's election, the parliament had approved major changes in the legal framework of DANS structures, which gave its head unprecedented powers - beyond purely analytical capabilities. The changes included: DANS swallows GDBOP, Capital, 28 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013. taking DANS out of the structure of the Interior Ministry and putting it under the direct auspices of the Cabinet taking the Anti-Organized Crime Directorate out of the Interior Ministry and placing it under the direct control of DANS taking away the President's right to nominate the head of DANS.
Although Peevski wrote on 15 June that he will be withdrawing from the post, the protests stemmed from general discontent with the government as a whole. The release of Peevski from his position as head of DANS was confirmed on 19 June and his status as a National Parliament deputy remained in limbo until 8 October.
The demonstrations started on 28 May 2013, but actual large-scale protests did not emerge until the controversial appointment of Delyan Peevski as head of the State Agency for National Security on 14 June. The eruption of the demonstrations on 14 June caught the members of the cabinet by surprise, with only a small number of police officers deployed on the first day of the protests. Despite the government's decision to reverse the appointment, protests continued, raising new demands, including Mr Oresharski's resignation and putting an end to the "Peevski model" (referring to the issue of oligarchic control over the actions of the Bulgarian governments). Demonstrations have been noted for their use of social networks such as Facebook and emphasis on digital slang, with the social networking opportunities being recognized by some commentators as a contributing factor to the rejuvenating of the protests on a number of occasions. It has also been suggested that the eruption of the 2013 demonstrations in Turkey played some part in energizing the anti-Oresharski protest movement.
The protests were still ongoing weeks after the reversal of Peevski's appointment, attracting a steady number of 10,000 to 15,000 people without any signs of attenuation. Because of the lack of response from the government, the demonstrators resorted to other means of expressing their anger over the presumed corruption of the government, including protesting every morning in front of the parliament, as part of the morning initiative to "drink coffee" with the politicians, and blockading different roads at random. Despite such demonstrations, the government largely ignored the protesters and dismissed their claims. Although at first largely ignored by the world press, the demonstrations soon started to receive more significant worldwide attention both by the media and the general population via the use of social networks. The anti-Peevski protesters were described as including people from various walks of life and political ideologies, among them leftists, environmentalists, pro-Europeanists and nationalists, with a visible presence of members of the intelligentsia and people from information technology fields. Bulgarian expatriates were also active in organizing protests abroad since 16 June 2013, with the first documented ones taking place in Brussels, Berlin and London. The protest atmosphere in Bulgaria in the aftermath of Peevski's appointment has been compared to the one from the summer of 1990 when many Bulgarians had their first taste of democracy.
On 13 July, a protester procession made a theatric reenactment of the Liberty Leading the People painting of Eugène Delacroix, with a half-naked female protester depicting an allegorical goddess-figure.
Continuity and divergences between the February and June protests