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Thu, Feb 23 2012
Democracy in Bulgaria
Photo: Julia Lazarova
Democracy took a step backward in the latest presidential and municipal election process in Bulgaria. The campaign leading up to those elections in this Nato and EU nation exposed an alarming decline in the freedom and independence of print and electronic media and political intimidation at levels not seen in decades in the country.
From Sunday’s run-off and elections a week earlier, the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Party (GERB) of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov won the presidency and mayor positions in the majority of major towns and cities around the country, including the capital, Sofia. The outcome consolidated political power further in Bulgaria. Borissov’s party already dominates the Bulgarian Parliament and Government.
The Bulgarian print and electronic media have had their shady side since independence from communism, but the situation today takes media corruption and political influence to levels that essentially remove any confidence in the objectivity or independence of major media reporting.
Pay-for-play is the business model for most primary news outlets in Bulgaria during election season. Today it is the organisational policy of many major national daily newspapers to charge for news coverage during political campaigns—not advertising, but news and analysis. If a campaign wants favourable news stories, opinion articles or positive features on its candidate or wishes the media to criticise opponents, it is just a matter of cash. Candidates who do not or cannot pay for coverage simply receive little or no news coverage.
Television is equally guilty. Candidates for office can buy conventional political advertising. However, it is usually more productive to buy news, interviews or features broadcast as objective reporting. Generally, those who pay the stations receive favoured coverage of press conferences and other news programmes.
As newspapers in the US and elsewhere close or consolidate, the number of newspapers in Bulgaria remains stable. What is changing is the ownership. Major Western media investors are withdrawing from the Bulgarian market, and ownership is shifting to Bulgarian investors less concerned with journalistic ethics. Instead, the media has become a means to currying favour with the government to win lucrative contracts or funds from the media budgets of government ministries.
The dominant culture of the Bulgarian media today is to use the press for business and political influence, not to provide objective reporting of political events or to provide scrutiny required to hold government accountable to the people. As one former senior Bulgarian official told me, the consolidation of the media in Bulgaria is a "dirty symbiosis" between the media, business interests and the government over control of public information.
The expansion of the tabloid press in Bulgaria is another recent development. However, instead of paparazzi photos of entertainment personalities and gossip about the glitterati, these publications are outlets to publish constant, unsubstantiated scandals and vicious personal attacks on candidates and political figures. Again, cash and influence determine who becomes the target of scandal.
Political intimidation and fear also are on the rise in Bulgaria. Tough political signals are not subtle in this region. The appointment of the Minister of Interior to lead the political campaign of the ruling GERB party in Bulgaria is somewhat akin to US president Obama appointing the directors of the FBI and the CIA to lead his re-election campaign. Bulgarians around the country privately talk about political intimidation and the fear of expressing opposition to the current government.
Bulgarians have a recent history of voting for the next leader who will deliver the country from the corruption, inadequate rule of law and the pervasive influence of organised crime which is retarding national development. The Borissov Government came to power on such promises. So far, the government has done well at amassing power. When and if the ruling party will deliver on its commitments to Bulgarians is not clear.
If democracy is to develop further in Bulgaria, a good deal more sunshine — political transparency — is required. Aside from the question of media ethics, as a minimum, Bulgarians should be told when items are bought and specifically and clearly who is paying in every instance when coverage with political implications has been bought. Exposure of political intimidation will require serious monitoring from international organisations along with improvement in local laws.
Plenty of competent, honest journalists live and work in Bulgaria, but they are frustrated and trapped in a system which is corrupted by big money and political intimidation. When a free and objective press falters and political intimidation becomes the norm in a system plagued by serious organised crime and corruption and lacking adequate rule of law, democracy is the loser.
James Pardew is a former United States ambassador to Bulgaria
From Sunday’s run-off and elections a week earlier, the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Party (GERB) of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov won the presidency and mayor positions in the majority of major towns and cities around the country, including the capital, Sofia. The outcome consolidated political power further in Bulgaria. Borissov’s party already dominates the Bulgarian Parliament and Government.
The Bulgarian print and electronic media have had their shady side since independence from communism, but the situation today takes media corruption and political influence to levels that essentially remove any confidence in the objectivity or independence of major media reporting.
Pay-for-play is the business model for most primary news outlets in Bulgaria during election season. Today it is the organisational policy of many major national daily newspapers to charge for news coverage during political campaigns—not advertising, but news and analysis. If a campaign wants favourable news stories, opinion articles or positive features on its candidate or wishes the media to criticise opponents, it is just a matter of cash. Candidates who do not or cannot pay for coverage simply receive little or no news coverage.
Television is equally guilty. Candidates for office can buy conventional political advertising. However, it is usually more productive to buy news, interviews or features broadcast as objective reporting. Generally, those who pay the stations receive favoured coverage of press conferences and other news programmes.
As newspapers in the US and elsewhere close or consolidate, the number of newspapers in Bulgaria remains stable. What is changing is the ownership. Major Western media investors are withdrawing from the Bulgarian market, and ownership is shifting to Bulgarian investors less concerned with journalistic ethics. Instead, the media has become a means to currying favour with the government to win lucrative contracts or funds from the media budgets of government ministries.
The dominant culture of the Bulgarian media today is to use the press for business and political influence, not to provide objective reporting of political events or to provide scrutiny required to hold government accountable to the people. As one former senior Bulgarian official told me, the consolidation of the media in Bulgaria is a "dirty symbiosis" between the media, business interests and the government over control of public information.
The expansion of the tabloid press in Bulgaria is another recent development. However, instead of paparazzi photos of entertainment personalities and gossip about the glitterati, these publications are outlets to publish constant, unsubstantiated scandals and vicious personal attacks on candidates and political figures. Again, cash and influence determine who becomes the target of scandal.
Political intimidation and fear also are on the rise in Bulgaria. Tough political signals are not subtle in this region. The appointment of the Minister of Interior to lead the political campaign of the ruling GERB party in Bulgaria is somewhat akin to US president Obama appointing the directors of the FBI and the CIA to lead his re-election campaign. Bulgarians around the country privately talk about political intimidation and the fear of expressing opposition to the current government.
Bulgarians have a recent history of voting for the next leader who will deliver the country from the corruption, inadequate rule of law and the pervasive influence of organised crime which is retarding national development. The Borissov Government came to power on such promises. So far, the government has done well at amassing power. When and if the ruling party will deliver on its commitments to Bulgarians is not clear.
If democracy is to develop further in Bulgaria, a good deal more sunshine — political transparency — is required. Aside from the question of media ethics, as a minimum, Bulgarians should be told when items are bought and specifically and clearly who is paying in every instance when coverage with political implications has been bought. Exposure of political intimidation will require serious monitoring from international organisations along with improvement in local laws.
Plenty of competent, honest journalists live and work in Bulgaria, but they are frustrated and trapped in a system which is corrupted by big money and political intimidation. When a free and objective press falters and political intimidation becomes the norm in a system plagued by serious organised crime and corruption and lacking adequate rule of law, democracy is the loser.
James Pardew is a former United States ambassador to Bulgaria
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The Sofia Echo
I myself have lived through the whole democracy circus in Bulgaria and have seen it all. As I am born and bred there, I myself cannot start to tell you how ashamed and disgruntled I was to see yet again a failed country by corrupted elections and sold out media. Mr Borisov is the most feared man in Bulgaria for a good reason, not because he is the prime minister but because he and the rest of he's kin are so deep with the local Mafia that you would not want to be on the wrong side of him. Not [...]
Read the full comment to talk about that GERB is a RIGHT WING NAZI PARTY which was directly connected with Natsionalno Obedinenie Ataka Which translated from simple Bulgarian means National Union Atack which kind of speak for its self, which by name kind of speaks for its self. Those two parties were directly connected and supported one another in both elections. Not to talk about the amount of money that GERB spend around the elections giving to the local gypsy population in fact 50lv per person in some regions to vote for them and not that they really wanted to help the poverty they live in. Bulgarian government has always been corrupted, I mean how can you build democracy on top of forty five years of communist regime and 80% of the local government are still left over’s from that regime including our re elected prime minister (not bad for a fireman I have got to say) but you can really tell he's true nature when you see him on foreign visits and he looks like the bouncer and not the prime minister! It is a shame and real stupidity of what has happen in the current elections, as they were clearly corrupt and far from fair. The current government runs the country on fear and rations and you only need to ask a local how their life is going to know how messed up life is in Bulgaria. Corruption, Greed, Connections, Your Friend, My Friend, You scratch my back All Scratch yours; this is how we run our country .Democracy? What? No We in Bulgaria have something better Bulgarostupidocracy as we seem to misunderstand the meaning of really important words as such, so we develop our own just like our alphabet, oops we stole half of it from the Greeks but don’t tell that to anyone!!!
At least we have a debate here! shame the average bulgarian on the street doesnt have the same freedoms eh! Take issue with what and how Mr Purdue says what he says but he isnt wrong about the substantive point which is democracy is failing in Bulgaria and we are simply standing around and watching it disappear!
A _what_ in Bulgaria ? LOL !
I don't understand this girl Martina or whatever her name is. Is she part of the" know it all" inteligencia ? Hey girl, let me tell you something, this is called commenting and if you don't like this type of narrative I suggest that you simply butt out,instead of insulting someone's intelligence ( narrow,elemenyary
Sorry, Slovenia, Slovakia, what's the difference?
I'm glad that there is still an outlet for speaking the truth in Bulgaria, and still someone who cares enough to speak it. With truth comes hope. Croatia got rid of Tudjman, and Slovenia got rid of Meciar. Let's hope.
What's truly shocking is that the current U.S. ambassador is complicit in this perversion of democracy -- that it takes a former ambassador to tell it like it is.
I think this article is brave and accurate, and that those less informed simply want to take it as insult to their pathetic nationalist pride or simply not believe it. Bravo, Pardew, and please make sure the right people in the US and EU know about it.
For myself, I'm happy to accept that no-one directed Mr Pardew in the composition of his commentary - I honestly can't see the US administration having enough, indeed any, interest in so doing. No, the problem I have is that it is all opinion and personal belief and no fact. There is one - anonymous - attribution and that only to another opinion. Mr Pardew may well have concrete evidence of the political, business and criminal stranglehold over the Bulgarian media - he was certainly in a position to obtain it - but he doesn't share it with us. So [...]
Read the full comment sadly his is just another largely useless voice, making extravagant but unsubstantiated claims - like the media he addresses.
Why Mr Purdue’s informal views do not coincide with those of official Europe? Pardew’s behavior is unacceptable and has different purpose from the stated.
When criticism comes not from an objective observer, but by officials of another country, it has little value. When this official U.S. become independent from his employers, who make up these through its policies, approved by Congress and U.S. President than he will be listened with great care. The only thing I know from statements of former and current U.S. Ambassador of Bulgaria is that again Bulgaria annoyed with something Americans ... [...]
Read the full comment
We are currently being negotiated last clauses of the contract with U.S. company "Chevron" to permit study of shale gas. So something is not right of Americans to retreat, but is stretched. Interesting.
Mr Purdue as a very experienced politician, managed to show "his truth" - I like Barack Obama and leaders of the CIA and FBI comparison… This is almost true, but not quite - first Mr Tsvetanov does not head the National Intelligence Service or National Security Agency, and a he is political figure who by coincidence is a minister, but also one of the best organizers in the political party GERB. Here we see the approach of Goebbels, who is uniquely good - from a half-truth to make a perfect lie.
P. S. My las comment was addressed to Whateverbeeches - not to the author or the SE staff
A REVOLUTION?!? Are you kidding or do you seriously believe in the effectiveness of outbreaks of violence?!? Besides, your view of Bulgarian history is narrow and elementary. Learn more before making broad generalizations - and please refrain from posting until you've learned more.
Isn't it the same the world over?
How strange it all is; I reckon about 99% of the world's population simply want to be safe, fed and warm: to have enough to live comfortably, and without fear. The remaining 1% seem intent on making this dream impossible.
Bulgaria's history is enough to break one's heart. Turks, Germans, Communists have all trampled on the Bulgarian people, and now, the greatest crime of all, Bulgarians themselves continue this tradition.
Other than revolution, when one bunch of tyrants could replace the [...]
Read the full comment existing bunch of tyrants, I certainly have no answers. I do, however, have the greatest respect and admiration for the ordinary Bulgarians. They are wonderful people, and deserve far far better.
I suppose writing in English it is very likely this will only be understood by a small number of Bulgarians but it is the majority who are the only ones who can change the situation. When you see the removal of democracy in Greece and Italy at this crisis moment it shows democracy is failing because it can so easily be ignored in favour of the technocrats and corrupting influences. As a Bulgarphile it is with great saddness that I now witness what happened at the elections and the backward steps BG has taken. If Bg was to ask for [...]
Read the full comment EU entry now it would be refused that is how far this has slipped!
I have also spent time talking to politicians on all sides in BG and I sense the hoplessness in trying to change anything. I work in in different parts of BG with people in every level of society and see the desperate plight of those trying to work honestly and proactively and yet end up being intimidated and attacked.
'Eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty' but this can only happen if the people have the capacity to control thier destiny and in BG its been taken away from them systematically. We helped Libya overcome a tyrannt perhaps we need to consider BG now as a candidate for similar help?
Once I thought that dude needs to be put outside Bulgarian borders, banned from re-entry. Now I think he's ready to be president of this forlorn country, and will do heluva better job than all of the Bulgarian presidents taken all together.
It is great that spoke with him. Hope to see more of this.