Sun, Nov 22 2009
The latest news of unreasonable (to sat the least) spending of taxpayers’ money by ex-cabinet ministers made me reflect on the possible mindset of former Bulgarian rulers and why they felt like untouchables.
In his first in-depth interview after his crushing election defeat, former prime minister Sergei Stanishev said that he respected new Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s knack for seizing the moment and his skill at self-promotion. Indeed, Borissov is unparalleled in Bulgaria for his ability to get the best out of every situation.
The new Government seems to be serious in its promise to bring transparency into the work of public institutions.
The story of Todor Yossifov (26) shows that it’s not easy to stay close to the leader after he became the first victim of the immense media attention surrounding Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov, whose party GERB won a landslide victory in the elections.
A commentary in one of Bulgaria’s newspapers recently referred to the two highly controversial, to say the least, businessmen from the small town of Doupnitsa as the Brothers Grimm. To clarify for those hot off the plane, these two businessmen are often referred to in the media as the Galevi brothers, although they are unrelated.
Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov’s use of pizza to illustrate the 2010 Budget – thin crust, scant topping – inspired two Sofia restaurants to turn into reality the Dyankov Pizza; but Bulgaria’s political pantry offers many more possibilities.
Knowing Borissov’s sensitivity to criticism, impeachment talks hit a bull’s-eye and Borissov fell into the trap.
Every Bulgarian, it is sometimes said, is an expert in matters of finance and knows how to fix the economy.
A November report by the Bulgarian National Audit Office on Government spending on IT hardware and training in education showed chaos that bordered on the incomprehensible.
Happiness can hit when you don’t search for it. Back in the UK, I once lived in a posh block in central London.