Global Voices » Ruslan Trad

Crowdsourcing a Fair Election in Bulgaria

Ruslan Trad — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:06:49 +0000

The government of Boyko Borisov fell on Feb. 20, 2013 after a month of incessant protests, and in less than five days, on May 12, Bulgarian citizens will elect a new parliament (an in-depth GV text is here).

There are doubts, however, about the fairness of the upcoming vote. To help monitor the violations of the electoral process, Bulgarian activists have created several online tools.

Аз Гласувам ["I Vote"; bg] was created by Institute for Public Environment Development (IPED), a nonprofit organization supporting political and social change in Bulgaria. IPED works to increase citizen participation in the Bulgarian government, limiting the influence of the mafia in politics, securing a fair electoral process, and combating corruption and abuse of power. The platform's goal is to promote the rights of voters in Bulgaria, to answer most frequently asked questions about the upcoming election, to assist in reporting violations of the electoral process, and to aggregate election news published in the media.

За честни избори (“For Fair Elections”; bg] is an Ushahidi-based crowdmapping platform, which will help gather reports of violations (text and photos submitted via Facebook, Twitter and email).

Public Campaign Against Buying and Controlling the Vote is a site that collects news, updates and advice on how to combat vote-buying and other violations.

On Twitter, netizens can report violations and post updates using these hashtags: #bgizbori2013, #izbori2013, and #izbori (izbori means ‘elections’ in Bulgarian).

Self-Immolations Energize Bulgarian Protests

Ruslan Trad — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 01:29:35 +0000

Protests continue in Bulgaria for 20 days without stopping. In the latest major protest, on Feb. 24, more than 200,000 people took to the streets of the biggest cities in the country – Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. Their demands against monopolies in the energy sector and revision of the political system remain unfulfilled. Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, speaking on Feb. 28, said he would create a caretaker government formed with the participation of civil society organizations. But the protests continue – on March 3, Bulgaria's National Day, there will be new rallies.

One of the reasons for the protests to continue are the self-immolations – three cases in less than a month, all largely neglected by the media.

One of the self-immolators, 36-year-old Plamen Goranov [bg], has become a symbol of the fight against the mafia and the political system. He is now called the “Bulgarian Jan Palach,” after the Czech student who set himself on fire in Prague in 1968, in protest against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Plamen Goranov.

Goranov is one of the main critics of the mafia in his city, Varna, whose mayor Kiril Yordanov has been alleged to have ties with “the murky and powerful” TIM group. Yordanov has been the mayor of Varna since 1999. Activists believe that Goranov's self-immolation was in protest against TIM.

TIM is the informal name of a Varna economic holding group connected with “KhimImport,” founded in the mid-1990s. It is most often associated with the criminal activity of the 1990s and the economic activity of the 2000s.

According to an article [bg] in the Bulgarian newspaper “Capital,”

[...] TIM was created by ten people. All are former Marines from the “Tihina” section near Varna. This is a secret branch of the Navy, which for years has been trained as elite special forces – commandos, parachutists and divers. Most of the founders were former karate athletes who participated in the national team and took not one or two titles in international tournaments. [...]

[...] In the early 1990s, reforms in the army left many former Marines unemployed. [...] Good physical form and karate skills allowed the majority of them to engage in different activities requiring the use of force. [...]

Bulgarian blog PsyGlass posted this [bg] about Plamen Goranov:

[...] What a name! Burning flame [refers to the translation of the name Plamen from Bulgarian]. [...] Like most people, I learned about him from pictures and stories. Who is he? Why is he a hero? Why did he set himself on fire?

Plamen is a dangerous character, because he is still alive. His self-immolation is not comparable with the actions of Levski and Botev [Bulgarian national heroes]. Those whom we admire. Whose portraits we admire. But Plamen burned. He is real, his pictures are in color, they can be seen, and the background and visible context can be found. [...]

[...] It's safer for heroes to have black-and-white portraits. So we can worship without questions, take their decisions for granted. They are white – perfect, flawless, bright. [...]

[...] The courage to look honestly at Plamen, in all of his humanity, to ask burning questions, to seek explanations and to act according to the meaning that we find – this is the position of citizens, of humans. And maybe of heroes. [...]

On the Bulgarian investigative journalism website (which was hacked a few weeks ago), a text about Plamen Goranov and the reasons for his act was published both in English and in Bulgarian, titled “Plamen Goranov – the Martyr of the ‘Bulgarian Spring'.” There is also an article about Goranov and democracy in Bulgaria on the Occupy.com website.

Bulgarian news blog, SamokoVest, has this [bg] on Goranov:

Plamen Goranov from Varna expressed his protest against the outrageous situation in the country and in his hometown with a staggering final act of negation. He was on fire and turned himself into a living torch for the protests.

Blogger Radan Kanev wrote [bg] about the symbolism of Goranov's self-immolation and asked why people aren't asking the government to act against the mafia:

[...] There is no compelling physical force against the citizens of Varna. No Soviet troops. Even no Bulgarian troops there. The sacrifice of Plamen Goranov is undoubtedly a protest against the shadowy power of TIM Group, which everyone talks about over coffee, beer and dinner. But Bulgaria has the power to oppose the shadow government. Varna has the power to stop it. The resources of the public authority are far greater than those of any group of thugs, any oligarch – or even all of them together. [...]

[...] The only tanks that sparked this protest are the tanks of our silence. The silence of the politicians’ ‘public’ media … the silence of the otherwise noisy protests. [...]

There is a Facebook group [bg] in support of Plamen Goranov, with more than 1,600 members. A concert rally has been organized through Facebook [bg] to help Goranov, who is in hospital now and in need of blood donations:

Sometimes courage causes fear inside us. Sometimes an act of understanding leads us to demonize or belittle. [...] Let us try to understand the sacrifice for the sake of an idea, and it will unite us rather than divide us. [...] Let's donate blood – Plamen needs it. Let us unite, at least around the idea to help this man.
Let us pray for his health and life. The initiative is part of a series of events in support of Plamen Goranov around the country.

Bulgarian Government Quits, But Protests Continue

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:58:29 +0000

On Sunday, February 24, 2013 tens of thousands of Bulgarians protested against corruption, high utility bills and poverty. The coastal city of Varna was declared the Protest Capital: over 40,000 people turned up for the Sunday's rally there. Some 15,000 people protested in Plovdiv. While it is difficult to determine the exact number of the February 24 protesters, activist sources say there were more than 200,000 of them nationwide.

In Sofia, the slogans included: “Let's Set the Monopolies on Fire!”; “Balkans, wake up! For a real democracy!”; “End to illusions, civil action every day!”; “We, Bulgarians, Turks, Roma, Armenians – we are all #Bulgaria-n citizens! We must stand up against political manipulation!”

The Feb. 24 protest in Sofia. Photo by Ruslan Trad.

Here's a video from the protest in Sofia, filmed by the author of this post:

The protest in Sofia coincided with the enthronement ceremony for Neofit, the newly-elected Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; the city was paralyzed, no public transport, except for the metro, was running. Minutes after he was officially enthroned, Patriarch Neofit vowed to pray for peace and unity of the Bulgarian people. This gesture of support for the protesters was well-received by them, while President Rosen Pleveliev, who addressed the crowd in Sofia, was booed.

The protesters called political parties not to manipulate or get involved in the protests. At the rally in Veliko Tarnovo, they even chased some political representatives away [bg; video]. Stanislava Stefanova wrote [bg]:

Don't they understand that there is no place for them at the protest of the people???? Isn't it clear enough that we don't want them???

Following the surprise resignation of Boyko Borisov‘s government on February 20, which came after an earlier protest turned violent, activists of the protest movement held a meeting in the city of Sliven and agreed on a list of demands: not to adjourn the Parliament; the President should appoint experts to the new government, instead of making it a caretaker one; to draft a Civil Participation Bill providing a 50% civil quota in all institutions; to return 51% of the energy sector shares to the State; to close the Bulgarian Energy Holding, BEH, for draining the energy sector; to summon the Grand National Assembly, establishing a procedure to recall MPs.

Lada Dimitrova wrote [bg] in a comment at the February 24 protest photo gallery on the “Saprotiva” (“Resistance”) page:

I'm not concerned with who will be the leader, it is important for me to live in dignity!

High Energy Bills Keep Bulgarians Protesting

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 01:18:15 +0000

On Sunday, February 17, tens of thousands of people in Bulgaria's capital Sofia and other cities continued to protest against high electricity and heating bills, and against the monopoly of energy distribution companies – ChCEZ, EVN, and Energo-Pro. The protesters are demanding the nationalization of Bulgaria's three power utilities – CEZ, EVN, and Energo-Pro, with the National Electric Company NEK.

More than 20,000 people showed up for the protest in Varna, 10,000 in Plovdiv, 6,000 in Sofia, 5,000 in Blagoevgrad. Four people were detained as protesters in downtown Sofia clashed with police who tried to cut the rally heading for the headquarters of power utility company CEZ.

The protesters want their demands met next week – and, if this does not happen, they are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister and the President. Although nationalist parties tried to gain political advantage, protesters stood up against such manipulation, shouting “No parties!”

YouTube user iasssen posted this video of the Sofia protest (shot by SkyMedia-bg.com from the air using a quadcopter, sound recorded separately down on the ground). Another HD video from the Sofia protest was posted by user MickeyMouseFrance:

Bulgarian blogger Kostadin Kostadinov posted an entry titled “Where to after the revolt?”[bg]:

Around 100,000 people protested today across the country. The protests, which began as a reaction against the pompous arrogant and brusque bills, become more social and political. People chanted “Boyko [Boyko Borisov, Bulgarian PM] out” and “Down with [GERB, the ruling party],” and then wondered who would follow them. [...] What those 100,000, many of them young people, would do in the elections this summer is extremely important. Obviously, they have the potential to awake the sleeping Bulgaria and to make Bulgarians believe in themselves and change their country. On the other hand, they do not trust anyone, and they have a good reason.

Bulgarian blogger Sabina Panayotova expressed her pessimism about the Feb. 17 protests [bg]:

These people are not those people.
- People in [the summer 2012 protests of Eagle Bridge] are not those of today. The people today were sad, desperate and gray.
- Protests today were like [the anti-communist protests of 1989], except that afterwards they will likely bring communists back to power.
- Whatever happens after these protests will not be good. In the best case, it will remain as it is.

Taralezh (“Hedgehog”) blog commented on the missing responses from the ruling party and ministries:

The first men of the country ran away from the protests and the people's “love.” While hundreds of thousands chanted in the streets of 35 cities in the country, none of the leaders thought of returning to Sofia to stand in front of the citizens as [real] men.

D-r Beloliki blog posted a collection of photos of the Feb. 17 protests across Bulgaria. Dimi Lazhov posted photos from the northwestern city of Vratza where people protesting against the monopoly and the new “rain tax.” Facebook page Saprotiva (“Resistance”) has photos from the nationwide demonstrations as well, and there is also a Storify collection with reactions, here.

Bulgarian journalist Adelina Martini tweeted:

Thousands protest in various cities in #Bulgaria against high electricity prices, shouting “mafia” and “resignation”, local media report

Another Bulgarian journalist, Mariya Petkova, who is based in Cairo, tweeted about the protests, too:

Hundreds of thousands are out in the streets across #Bulgaria protesting private monopolies of utilities and economic hardship!!!

Inside the Audacious Assassination Attempt in Bulgaria

Ruslan Trad — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:43:03 +0000

On January 19, 2013, a gunman attacked Ahmed Dogan, the founder of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), described by some politicians as Bulgaria's “Turkish party,” as he was delivering a speech at a televised party conference in Sofia. No shots were fired, and the gunman was beaten by MRF members, while security guards acted slowly.

The politician

In 1985, Dogan was among the founders of the National Freedom Movement, which reacted against the “Process of Rebirth” (Възродителен процес), a campaign by the Bulgarian Communist Party to assimilate the Turkish minority by forcing the Pomaks and Bulgarian Turks to adopt Slavic-sounding names. Over 300,000 families were forced to leave Bulgaria back then. There are 67,000 Pomaks in Bulgaria now, and the Turkish minority is the country's largest ethnic minority.

After the incident, Dogan resigned as MRF's leader, the post he had held since 1990.

The failed assassin

The attacker, Oktay Enimehmedov, is an ethnic Turk who purchased a gas gun a few days earlier. Later it became known that he had written a suicide note to his mother, in which he suggested that he might be killed. Enimehmedov's friends told the media he was a good man who never caused problems to others. However, the attacker is well-known to the police in the coastal city of Burgas as a perpetrator of minor crimes.

A screenshot of the footage of the Jan. 19 televised attack on Ahmed Dogan.

Was it staged?

The assassination attempt has provoked many reactions by Bulgarian politicians and netizens – and some of them seem convinced that the attack was staged.

A leftist journalist, Alexander Simov, wrote this [bg] on his blog:

I'm not sure if people realize just how dangerous what happened at the MRF conference really was.

[...]

Everything in Bulgaria is a big stage play – a stage play of democracy, of political parties, of normalization and decency.

[...]

We've witnessed an assassination attempt on an acting Bulgarian politician, for the first time since the dreadful date of October 2, 1996, when the ex-Prime Minister [Andrey Lukanov] was shot dead in front of his home. This raises the question of whether these past 17 years of transition have actually happened at all. The murder in 1996 and the assassination attempt today will surely be linked in all political analyses, which demonstrates in practice how the transition is still stuck at its starting point.

[...]

Some people actually felt sympathy towards the (would-be) killer – it's as if they felt he was pointing a gun at the transition itself. [...]

Simov continues, asking this:

Where was the Interior Minister this whole time? Why did it take so long for him to make a statement? Why didn't he make one immediately? Was the National Service for Protection asleep this whole time? Why did they mix up their stories so badly? How was someone with a criminal record ever allowed to come up on the stage?”

Bulgarian blogger Konstantin Pavlov (@Komitata) wrote [bg] on his blog:

Who benefits and who loses from the whole ordeal?

The MRF will benefit – its hundreds of thousands of supporters will once again feel threatened and under siege, and the party ranks will be brought into line for the upcoming elections. It won't be a surprise if we see a record turnout.

The [far-right Attack Party] and similar formations will benefit, because they now have new arguments against the vicious nature of the MRF and the degradation of its leadership.

The police state, the cops and similar political-economic elements will benefit as well.

The biggest loser in all of this is the National Service for Protection and the political leadership of the country, which has shown its full inadequacy in the tasks it should perform.

The big picture

Nelly Alexieva commented [bg] that the attack might have an effect on Bulgaria's image:

No one bothered to ask what motives this young man would have to shoot Dogan. That's because no one believed his stated motives to begin with. The performance was all too theatrical. But it did draw public attention to the MRF and its Conference.

Comments and opinions have been pouring all day on who benefits from this stage play.

One thing is for certain – Bulgaria's image stands to lose from all this.

The author of “Rusensko vareno” blog described [bg] what happened as a “circus”:

[...]

1. A few days ago Dogan declares that people are to expect big surprises on Saturday, i.e. today.
2. On Saturday, i.e. today, a would-be punk-thug stages an assassination attempt on Dogan.
3. Ahmed Dogan resigns.
4. [Lyutvi Mestan] is elected chairman of the MRF with 100% of the votes.
5. Dogan is appointed honorary president of the party for life.

Alexander Lyutov wrote [bg] on his blog:

Much like the Gulf War, we saw a real action movie unfold before our eye, shot by a camera that no one seemed to get in the way of, not even accidentally, as security guards, but mainly MRF delegates were starting to maul the assailant. [...] The European observers at the MRF conference evidently couldn't stand the barbaric display and seemed to have lost their sound and picture.

It's clear that the upcoming [Jan. 27 referendum on building a new nuclear power plant] is no longer on our minds.

User Stoyan wrote this [bg] on The Other Truth blog:

[...] It's my opinion, and a lot of people seem to share it, that the idea behind this staged attack was to bring the ranks of the party into line. If you remember, the MRF lost many municipalities in the last elections, as a big portion of their supporters broke away from the party. Clearly, the season of negative campaigning starts today. MRF delegates were shouting for the resignation of [Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov], and other things of that kind. In other words, the MRF will be blaming the Prime Minister for what happened, he in turn will be blaming [Sergei Stanishev, the leader of the socialists], perhaps Stanishev will start blaming Dogan, and so on. [...]

On Twitter, some of the reactions were as merciless.

@therealgenadi wrote [bg]:

the next assassination attempt against Dogan will be more serious – with a Star Wars sword bought at a toy store.

@DidiGK wrote [bg]:

I bet Dogan has organized this attack against himself. Like Berlusconi. Garbage next to garbage.

@asengenov wrote [bg]:

The janissaries who kicked and jumped on the head of Dogan's “attacker” must to be sued for moderate and severe injuries and attempted murder.

Jonathan Allen, the British Ambassador to Bulgaria, tweeted this comment [bg] about the attack on Dogan:

I hear that someone has attacked Mr. Dogan. I hope he feels okay. Democracy means disputes, but with words and ideas.

Counter of Syrian War Victims Installed in Bulgarian Capital

Ruslan Trad — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 23:13:41 +0000

“Support Syrian bloggers and activists” Facebook page published a photo of the counter of victims and refugees of the war in Syria, which has recently been installed by CommonStep Association in the center of Bulgaria's capital Sofia. The online counter can be found on CommonStep's website.

Bulgarian Activist on Hunger Strike Against State Monopoly

Ruslan Trad — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:25:06 +0000

On Dec. 1, Chavdar Yanev set up a tent in front of the Bulgarian Supreme Judicial Council in Sofia and went on hunger strike to protest a judicial system that allows cases filed by individuals against state institutions to continue for years. Or even decades: Yanev and his wife, Latinka Georgieva, have been in a legal battle against Toplofikatsiya [bg], a state monopoly that provides heating to the country's residents, for nearly 12 years [bg].

A flashmob in solidarity with Yanev, organized via Facebook group “We are against high prices for electricity” [bg] (more than 3,000 members), is scheduled for Dec. 4.

This poster, urging people to come to a flashmob to support Chavdar Yanev, has been shared by 2,060 Facebook users.

(more…)

Candles Lit for Gaza in Bulgaria's Capital

Ruslan Trad — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 23:16:57 +0000

About 100 people gathered in Sofia's central square to show their support for the victims of Israel's recent Operation Pillar of Defense in the Gaza Strip. Facebook page “Together for Palestine” [bg] has this photo of commemorative candles lit in Bulgaria's capital; another page, “Bulgaria supports Palestinian independence in the UN” [bg], has more updates and photos. A few pro- and anti-Assad Syrians were seen arguing with each other during this solidarity gathering:

Photo by Ruslan Trad.

Massive Rally in Bulgaria's Capital Ends in Arrests (Updated)

Ruslan Trad — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 23:31:16 +0000

On Nov. 5, some 1,500 people took part in an anti-government rally in Sofia, organized by the Bulgarian section [bg] of the Anonymous. There were other, smaller, protests in other Bulgarian cities and towns. The rallies were part of the worldwide Global Day of Protest declared by the Anonymous. The Sofia protest resulted in a broken police cabin near the Parliament – and in arrests [video, bg].

(more…)

Bulgaria: “Are You a Terrorist?”

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:43:30 +0000

Bulgarian NGO “Forum for Arab Culture” tweeted [bg] a photo of the “Are you a terrorist?” quiz that appeared in the national daily “24 chasa,” asking if it was right for a newspaper to publish materials like this. The test's answers included this one:

If you have more B responses: Greetings! You will ascend with a bang to heaven, where [...] 72 virgins await you.

Bulgaria: Sofia, “Past&Present”

Ruslan Trad — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 22:26:06 +0000

Sofia: Past&Present. Image by Aleksander Nikolov, used with permission.

To celebrate the Day of the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Sept. 17, Alexander Nikolov posted a photo project called Past&Present. Each photo in this project combines an old and a new image of selected locations in the city.

Bulgaria: Syrian and Iraqi Refugees on Hunger Strike

Ruslan Trad — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 08:39:05 +0000

Bulgarian newspaper Dnevnik reports [bg] that 25 asylum seekers (21 Syrians and four Iraqis) went on hunger strike to protest the slowness of the asylum-granting procedures at the detention center for foreigners in the Bulgarian village of Lyubimets. Comments to the Dnevnik article reflect the general indifference to the plight of refugees, as well as anti-immigrant and xenophobic attitudes.

Bulgaria: PM Boyko Invites Creators of “Boykometer” for a Chat

Ruslan Trad — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:47:50 +0000

A few days ago, the web site Politikat.net (The Politician; bg), created by prominent Bulgarian bloggers Komitata (Konstantin Pavlov) and Asen Genov, became the subject of the government's attention. Komitata wrote about it here [bg].

Politikat.net

Politikat.net is an Open Source platform that tracks how promises made by the government and PM Boyko Borisov are being fulfilled (or not fulfilled). It includes a special section called “Boykometer,” inspired by the US website Obameter.

On July 6, the press center of the ruling party GERB sent a letter [bg] to Komitata and Genov, asking them to provide statistics and resources used by Politikat.net:

Dear Mr. Genov,

In connection with your being responsible for administering the Politikat.net portal, which contains allegations of certain “promises” made by the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the statistics on his performance, we request your answers to a few supplementary questions.

On what basis are the speeches of Boyko Borisov selected (unless you claim that you have covered 100 percent of his public statements)?

By what criteria certain parts of Boyko Borisov's statements are qualified as “promises”?

What quantitative and qualitative measures were used to assess objectively the degree of implementation of the “promises”?

From what sources and in which order the information is collected, summarizing the progress of the “promises”?

How often do you update the statistics on the “promises” that have the status “in progress,” so as to ensure the timely submission of accurate data to the customers?

[...]

Sevdelina Arnaudova,
Head of Press Center of GERB

A widely-circulated humorous take on PM Borisov asking Asen Genov for statistics and information. Source: Vladimir Doychinov on Facebook

The government, led by Boyko Borisov, is facing criticism and accusations of pressure on the Bulgarian media. According to a report [bg; .pdf] of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, there is a “disturbing situation” with the freedom of speech in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian branch of the Association of European Journalists writes that “corporate journalism dominates Bulgarian media sector.”

After sending the letter, PM Borisov invited Genov and Pavlov to “discuss” Politikat.net and his “promises” to the people. It was disturbing that the Interior Minister also attended the meeting.

PM Borisov (center) together with the Interior Minister (left) during their meeting with bloggers Asen Genov and Komitata (right). Photo by Asen Genov, used with permission.

In 2011-2012, Bulgaria dropped dramatically – from the 70th to the 80th place – in the world press freedom rankings of Reporters Without Borders. The country ranks last among other EU states, sharing the same index with Serbia, Chile and Paraguay.

On July 7, The Economist published an article, in which the situation with the freedom of speech in Bulgaria was described this way:

[...] Mainstream newspapers are owned by banks or powerful companies. There is little investigative reporting. Advertising by the government and by state-owned companies is a big source of revenue for newspapers; because of that, self-censorship is the order of the day. [...]

Bulgaria: Protests Against Forest Act in Sofia

Ruslan Trad — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:17:50 +0000

This week, Bulgaria's capital Sofia was blocked for two days, June 13 and 14, due to the unsanctioned protests against the modification of the vague Forest Act, known as the “Amendments ‘Vitosha ski’” because the changes were made allegedly under pressure from the company that owns ski resorts on Vitosha Mountain near Sofia. Around 5,000 people (2,000 on the first day and 3,000 on the second) took part in the protests.

The Forest Act already permits installation of certain skiing facilities and equipment without changing the status of the land. Many people think that the “oligarchs,” with their lobbies in the Parliament, want these lands for private use.

Environmental activists and other people self-organize with the help of Facebook [bg], Twitter, and text messages.

June 13, the first day of the protests, was the birthday of the Bulgarian PM Boiko Borisov, suspected to have ties with the “oligarchs.”

Bulgarian journalist Ivan Bedrov wrote “Happy birthday, dear Boiko” on his blog [bg], posting a video from the June 13 rally:

Doraid al Hafid, an activist and member of the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria, posted this photo from the June 13 rally on his Facebook page:

Down with Boiko!

The police arrested the total of 24 people in the two days of the protests, and three people were reported injured.

Below is a video recorded by the author of this post, showing the beginning of the arrests on June 13:

After the June 14 rally, the people spontaneously set off for the President's office building. This video shows heavy police presence:

More videos from the protests are here and here.

Facebook page “Occupy Bulgaria” (with more than 14,000 members) posted 44 photos from the June 14 protest.

There is a petition on Avaaz: “Call Bulgaria's president to veto the new Forests Act and end unscrupulous Government aid to oligarchs”.

The third protest is scheduled to take place today, on June 15. The Facebook event [bg] for it is titled “Block Orlov Bridge III.”

Bulgaria: President's Gift to Pope Provokes Questions

Ruslan Trad — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:07:01 +0000

On May 24, the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature Day, the Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev visited the Vatican. At a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, President Plevneliev presented a huge Easter egg to him, the work of the Bulgarian sculptor Georgi Andreev.

The egg is made of inox steel and is gold-plated, studded with crystal stones (2,000 ruby-red crystals) in the colors of the rainbow, and consists of 11 sections in the form of diamonds, in the middle of which there is an inscribed cross. The egg is 2.3 meters high and weighs 200 kg – and is also engraved with the letters of the Bulgarian alphabet.

No one in the Bulgarian media wrote about the price of this precious gift. Bulgarian netizens, however, responded to the news with many questions.

On his blog, Bulgarian journalist Ivan Bedrov posted a picture of the Pope and the Bulgarian President standing next to the egg, and commented [bg]:

[...] At first glance, the thing is bigger than the President and the Pope combined. A golden cone? No, a Christmas tree? There was an egg, right? A huge “Fabergé” on the gear of an office chair, with an antenna stuck on top of it. But what is inside, will anyone reveal? [...]

In the social media, the gift has become an object of jokes and humor. Here's a small selection:

#Terribly tasteless…

#What does Bulgaria have in common with an egg or Fabergé? What's the message? Maybe that we roost with hens?

#Huge kitsch. Literally.

#Such grandiosity… Looks like the Pope was frightened by the size of the egg.

[...]

#Seriously! Who made it? How much does it cost? Who paid the bill?

[...]

The good news is that the great gift is not paid for with the public funds. The question is what it symbolizes and what exactly Bulgaria is saying to the world with this gift. Because there's no doubt the photo has made an impression around the world. My first association was with Bulgarian weddings where there it is always more impressive to give a huge washing machine as a gift rather than a small picture. In English, this is called “excessive” [...]. Such a gift would be a perfect fit for a visit of Georgi Parvanov [Rosen Plevneliev's predecessor at the President's post] to [Turkmenbashi]‘s successor [...].

Freelance journalist Martin Ivanov wrote this on his blog [bg]:

[...] In the past, the Vatican had tacitly refused to accept an ambassador sent by the [Bulgarian] President. If Plevneliev has decided to do diplomacy through such Kindersurprises, we can only speculate about what he would give to, say, [the German President Joachim Gauck], to [the U.S. President Barack Obama], or to the French President François Hollande. [...]

Journalist Ruslan Yordanov commented in his column [bg] in Pogled.info that the “Vatican ‘Fabergé’ amidst the [strongest earthquake] in our country is a sign that the president has completely lost.”

On Facebook, people are discussing another photo of the Bulgarian President, the Pope and the Egg:

Miguel Blank: I really do not understand why there is a giant fake Fabergé with letters?

Kockata Slavov:‎ I wonder where they got the money from to buy this “ovule”? From the Bulgarian people, no money for children and pensions – but we have money for such things. I can't stand these politicians……………

On the Facebook page “Kvartala.bg,” there was this criticism [bg] of the President's gift:

None of our business…. but Plevneliev gave the Pope a 200 kg egg, on the eve of May 24. The giant gift has been handcrafted for two years by 15 artists. Eheeee, that means that Plevneliev had planned and prepared his gifts before he became President, for the time when he would became President. How prescient, how profound.

In the comment section of the Dnes.bg's article [bg] about the President's gift, one reader commented:

Hopefully, there will remain some living space for the people in the Vatican after the installation of the egg…

On Twitter, there were reactions, too.

@bang_limited wrote [bg]:

Plevneliev – A Kindersurprise of the Bulgarian diplomacy: President Rosen Plevneliev gives a 200 kg egg [...]

@ssstto wrote [bg]:

Plevneliev has given the Pope a giant egg which will hatch Lady Gaga.

@PolinaPaunova wrote [bg]:

Kitsch as national policy. Plevneliev sharp like a school girl….

And a tweet [bg] from HBO Bulgaria:

Is President Plevneliev a fan of Game of Thrones, that he gave the Pope a dragon egg?