Political And Economic Changes In Bulgaria :: essays research papers

Political and Economic Changes In Bulgaria     Over the course of the past two months, January and February 1997,Bulgaria has undergone some sweeping political changes and its economy hasdeteriorated into further collapse. The following is an attempt to describe theevents which took place in Bulgaria in January and February of 1997. This issomewhat of a difficult task given the flow rate rate of political, economical andsocial changes which are occurring in Bulgaria. What follows is an account ofthe events which have taken place in Bulgaria over the last two months i.e.January and February of 1997, subject to the intelligence operation material which was availableto me and to the time constraints of this project.     Bulgarias economic crisis exploded into popular outrage at thebeginning of January 1997, when previously quiescent Bulgarians poured into thestreets to demand that the governing BSP, leave advocator now rather than when theirf our-year term expires at the end of 1998.     After a month of mostly peaceful daily protests that paralysed Sofia andbrought much of the countrys business to a halt, the Socialists, who pretermit thekind of fiercely loyal police and media that have sustained President SlobodanMilosevic in neighbouring Serbia, submitted to the protesters demands onWednesday, February 5th 1997. They agreed to hand over power to a caretakergovernment until new elections in mid-April, which they are unlikely to win,when recent polls conclude that only 10% of the population currently support theBSP. "Wed better keep back now, because we have very hard days ahead," saidIvan Kostov, leader of the opposition United Democratic Forces. ( Source OMRIDaily Digest, 18th February 1997. ).     The newly elected Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov named an interimcabinet headed by Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofianski to oversee the country and itscollapsing economy until a new parliament is chosen in general elections plan for April 19. The appointment means that the mass protests forced theleaders of the Socialist majority in parliament to agree to a new ballot 20months originally the end of their elective term. Sofianskis caretaker cabinetincludes strong critics of the BSP and has announced it will abolish theeconomic development portfolio created by them.     This new caretaker government has already begun to dismantle the galacticnumber of government Ministries which were set up by the former Communists, theBSP. Literally thousands of Civil Servants are being made redundant, as thecaretaker government attempts to pave the government agency for Administrative Reform in boththe Central and Local Governments of Bulgaria.     Just before this project went to press, on Thursday, the 27th of