2020–2021 Bulgarian protests
The 2020–2021 Bulgarian protests sometimes called the Revolution of Dignity were a series of demonstrations that were being held in Bulgaria, mainly in the capital Sofia, as well as cities with a large Bulgarian diaspora, such as Brussels,[17] Paris,[17] Madrid,[17] Barcelona,[17] Berlin[17] and London.[17] The protest movement was the culmination of long-standing grievances against endemic corruption and state capture, particularly associated with prime minister Boyko Borisov's governments, in power since 2016. Spontaneous demonstrations were triggered by the 9 July 2020 raid on the Presidency of Bulgaria by police and prosecutors in what was perceived as an attack against President Rumen Radev, a vocal critic of Borisov's rule.[18] Borisov has refused to resign, insisting that the "mafia wants to overthrow him" and that "no alternatives" to his rule have been presented.[19] His ministers, deputies and parliamentary allies have labelled protesters "scum",[20] "apes"[21] and a "herd" which must be "put back in its place".[22] The protests ended on 16 April 2021, as the 4-year term of Borisov's cabinet has ended, and the formal resignation of the 3rd Borisov government has been accepted by the new parliament.[23] BackgroundCorruptionBulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his populist GERB party have been in power since 2009, with a two-year interruption in 2013, when his government lost power following similar protests. Borisov's cabinets have seen persistent corruption in all branches of government; a 2017 assessment of the United States Department of State described the presence of selective justice and a lack of judicial independence. The report stated that Bulgarian government officials were engaging in bribery, procurement violations and embezzlement with impunity.[24] Bulgaria has consistently ranked as the most corrupt European Union member in the Corruption Perceptions Index, and has remained last in 2019, ranking 74th globally.[25] As a result of corruption and oligarchic rule, Foreign direct investment collapsed from 28% of GDP in 2008 to a largely remittance-based 2% of GDP in 2018.[26][27] Corruption has been described as "endemic", especially in large infrastructure and energy projects, and within public procurement with taxpayer and EU funds.[28] A report by the Centre for the Study of Democracy, a Bulgarian think-tank, found that local businesses perceive at least 35% of public tender contracts to involve corruption.[29] Many of the public tender contracts are awarded to a handful of large companies amid widespread irregularities, procedure violations and tailor-made award criteria.[30] Furthermore, infrastructure projects are often poorly made on purpose in order to extract continuing maintenance contracts for the companies involved.[31] In an infamous case, a poorly renovated road led to a bus crash near Svoge in 2018, resulting in 20 deaths.[32][33][34] In 2019 alone, the Borisov government signed public procurement deals worth 16.4 billion leva ($9.93 billion) largely for infrastructural projects, more than three times the government budget for the nation's "collapsing" healthcare system.[35][36] In the 2018-2020 period, Borisov and his ministers have also been involved in a series of corruption scandals: guesthouses built with EU funds have been used as private villas for government officials; millions in agricultural subsidies have been diverted to livestock existing only on paper; and Borisov himself was implicated in a possible money laundering scheme investigated by police in Catalonia.[31][37][38] This has been complemented by a steep decline in media freedom. Bulgaria dropped from 59th[39] to 111th globally in the Press Freedom Index between 2008 and 2019, the lowest score of any EU member or candidate state; Reporters Without Borders reported worsening harassment of journalists and continuing government control over the media through financial means, including EU funding. The organisation expressed particular concern over the Borisov government's candidate for Chief Prosecutor, Ivan Geshev, who had made scathing remarks about media which were "not to his liking".[40][41] Geshev also opposed the concept of separation of powers, calling it "a far-right idea".[42] Former US ambassador to Bulgaria, James Pardew, said in 2019 that a "political environment with little government or criminal accountability and no serious opposition to challenge the current government" is in place in Bulgaria. Pardew further named Delyan Peevski as a "media kingpin" with a virtual monopoly on private media in Bulgaria, controlling as much as 80% of the local market.[43] Institutional war.jpg) Following the defeat of GERB's candidate for president in the 2016 Bulgarian presidential election, Bulgarian Air Force general Rumen Radev was elected to the mostly ceremonial post of President of Bulgaria.[44] Radev, an independent, was nonetheless backed by the Bulgarian Socialist Party – Bulgaria's largest opposition party. Radev frequently criticised the prime minister over what he alleged was corruption, mismanagement and authoritarianism inherent in Borisov's rule. Consequently, Radev frequently vetoed legislative proposals by GERB and vocally opposed Borisov's government.[45][46][47][48][49] In turn, Borisov accused Radev of sabotaging the government's work, dividing the nation and compromising his independence in favour of the opposition. Bulgaria's parliamentarist constitution holds the Prime Minister responsible to the National Assembly instead of the President and allows for the parliament to overrule presidential vetoes via a simple majority. As such, Borisov was able to maintain power in the country despite the president's objections and criticisms, as the latter lacked any legal mechanism to sack or seriously obstruct the government.[50][51] This inter-institutional conflict[52] escalated significantly in late 2019, as the President attempted to block the appointment of Ivan Geshev to the post of Chief Prosecutor. Radev cited Geshev's nomination by the Supreme Judicial Council, a procedure where Geshev was the sole candidate.[53] However, the Supreme Judicial Council constitutionally forced President to accept Geshev as Chief Prosecutor,[54][55][56] which Radev reluctantly did after noting that further refusals could amount to a violation of the constitution.[57] The newly appointed Chief Prosecutor released what he described as wiretaps of the president shortly thereafter, which allegedly implicated him in criminal activities.[58][59] Radev, who was at this point criticising Borisov over the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country,[60][61] strongly rejected the allegations and accused the Prime Minister of having the nation's security service illegally spy on him and fabricate evidence.[62] Cause of protestsAlleged photographs and voice recordings of the Prime MinisterShortly before the start of the protests, photographs emerged that purported to show what appeared to be Prime Minister Borisov laying half-naked on a bed, next to a nightstand featuring a handgun and stacks of 500 euro banknotes. Borisov confirmed that the room in which the photos were taken was his, but denied the gun and money, stating that the images could have been manipulated. Borisov accused President Radev of flying a consumer drone into his residence in order to take the picture. He also accused former Ombudswoman Maya Manolova, TV star Slavi Trifonov and his own former second in command Tsvetan Tsvetanov (who had just left and condemned the ruling party) of involvement in a plot to take photos of him while he was sleeping, in a "KGB-Style" kompromat operation. Radev condemned the leaks and called it an "insane" invasion of the prime minister's privacy. He added that he owns a drone, but that the accusation that he personally piloted it into the prime minister's residence to take pictures was part of Borisov's "fantasy and paranoia".[63][64][65][66] Around that time controversial voice recordings were leaked on the Internet. The voice in the recordings, which strongly resembles the voice of the Prime Minister Borisov, insults fellow GERB member and chairman of the National Assembly Tsveta Karayancheva and European leaders.[67][68][69] On 24 July, socialist MEP Elena Yoncheva stated that American experts had allegedly proven the authenticity of the recording. EU Parliament head David Sassoli stated that Yoncheva had pledged to provide the findings to Belgian police.[70] Scandal with National Security Service guardsOne of the events that provoked a strong public reaction was an action of activists of Yes, Bulgaria!, broadcast live on social media. The activists, led by Hristo Ivanov, reached a coastal beach in front of the residence of Bulgarian oligarch Ahmed Dogan, located near the port of Rosenets in Burgas by boat. Their purpose was to check whether the regime of exclusive state ownership of the surrounding beach is actually observed and whether as such it is accessible to Bulgarian citizens. There they were intercepted by security guards, which pushed them out, insisted that the beach was privately owned and called the police, which assisted them.[71][72] The activists subsequently called on the president and the prime minister to identify whether the anonymous security guards were National Security Service (NSS) employees. The NSS is a government-funded bodyguard and security service that is only mandated to protect state leaders, which Ahmed Dogan is not.[73] Party representatives also called on the prosecutor's office to launch an investigation against Ahmed Dogan for violating the constitution and state property law.[71] In an address to the nation the following day, President Radev revealed that the guards were, in fact, employees of the National Security Service.[73] Borisov called on the leadership of the NSS to cease protection duties of Ahmed Dogan and Delyan Peevski, who is also under protection by the Service. Radev followed with a similar call several hours later.[74] In this situation, GERB and the United Patriots introduced amendments to the Law on NGOs, according to which the appointment of security guards by the service would become the responsibility of the head of the service.[75] "Eight Dwarfs" extortion scandalIn early July, the name of the General Prosecutor became mixed up in the corruption scandal "Eight Dwarfs", which erupted at the same time. The "Eight Dwarfs" scandal was named after a downtown Sofia restaurant in which alleged extortion deals took place. The scandal related to senior magistrates, with which the American ambassador to the country was personally acquainted. Prosecution magistrates were accused by an owner of an elevator company of extorting him to give up his shares in the company to them, threatening him that they would leave his sick son without lifesaving hemodialysis should he refuse. The magistrates were also alleged to have met there to discuss plans to steal 35 kilograms of gold from another businessman.[76] Incursion of the public prosecutors into the presidencyShortly thereafter, representatives of the prosecution and Capitol Police investigators entered the presidency, carrying out search and seizure operations.[77][78][79] They arrested two officials from the presidential administration. The first arrestee was Plamen Uzunov, advisor on legal issues and anti-corruption, accused of Influence peddling. The second – Iliya Milushev, a presidential advisor on security issues, accused of crimes involving disclosure of state secrets and conspiracy to illegally obtain secret documents. Another employee of the state reconnaissance agency with the initials M.K. was also arrested. According to the prosecution's statement Milushev voluntarily handed over four documents, which had been taken illegally from the State Intelligence Agency. According to the Agency, the documents contained information constituting a state secret.[77][78][79][80][81][82][83] At the same time a prominent businessman Plamen Bobokov was also arrested for alleged Influence peddling.[84][85] General Prosecutor Ivan Geshev told the media his indifference to the incident on the beach, where it was revealed that the national flag had been trampled.[86] Eventually, the culmination of all these scandals provoked a spontaneous protest in front of the presidency.[87] TimelineJuly9 July – Protests beginThe protests began on 9 July 2020. They set as their goal the removal of Borisov's cabinet and the resignation of Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev.[88] They are encouraged by President Rumen Radev, who has called for the expulsion of the Bulgarian mafia from the executive and the judiciary, as well as EU member states to express a position on the situation in the country, which is growing into a constitutional crisis.[89] However, the prime minister and the chief prosecutor refused to resign. The prosecutors' board and members of the government oppose the resignation of the chief prosecutor and the prime minister.[90] 10 July – The President's address; Borisov calls for counter-protestsThousands of protesters blocked the center of the capital for the second night in a row.[91][92][93] At 5:27 pm the Head of the National Security Service, Gen. Krasimir Stanchev resigned.[94] This came hours after he was asked to do so by President Rumen Radev after a series of scandals in which the service was involved in guarding the summer residence of honorary DPS leader Ahmed Dogan.[95] Earlier, Stanchev's resignation had been demanded by Democratic Bulgaria. About an hour and a half after the protests began President Rumen Radev told protesters in front of the presidency that "the protest against the mafia is turning into a campaign and there is no force to stop us."[96] Radev called on the protesters not to be divided into left and right, Russophiles and Russophobes, Americanophiles and Americanophobes, Europhiles and Europhobes, Bulgarians and Turks, and not to repeat the mistakes of the 2013 protests.[97] He ended his speech with the call "Mafia – out".[98] With calls to defend "Bulgaria's legitimately elected government", GERB party members urged party supporters to take part in a counter-protest in front of the Council of Ministers.[99] At 7 pm, the counter-protest in front of the Council of Ministers of GERB members in support of the government began. The Chairperson of the National Assembly of Bulgaria Tsveta Karayancheva, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Denitsa Sacheva and GERB MPs Toma Bikov and Alexander Nenkov came to the square in front of the Council of Ministers building.[100] "No one has the right to insult us, the voters of GERB, by calling us mafiots." said Chairperson of the National Assembly of Bulgaria Tsveta Karayancheva.[101] At 8 pm, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov also appeared before the counter-protesters. He commented on the government's success in joining ERM II starting Bulgaria's path to the Eurozone.[102] Borisov was greeted with applause. A few minutes later, he returned to the building, along with all the government ministers.[103] After Prime Minister Borissov's speech, GERB supporters began to disperse, while there was a significant crowd of police around the protesters on the side of the presidency. Protesters against the government blocked traffic on Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. between Orlov Most and Sofia University. Another group separated and tried to wait and block the buses with GERB supporters. The police then took measures to separate the two groups.[104][105] 11 JulyBulgarian President Rumen Radev addressed the nation in a television speech broadcast across the country, in which he endorsed the protests and called for the resignations of both Chief Prosecutor Geshev and the entire Bulgarian government.[106][45] Bulgarian police arrested 18 people amid clashes in an otherwise peaceful protest.[107] 12 JulyBulgarian emigrants living in London joined the protests and gathered peacefully outside the Bulgarian embassy in the United Kingdom, expressing their grievances to Bulgaria's ambassador to the country.[108] 14 July – Prosecution announces wiretaps of opposition MPThousands of protesters blocked traffic in downtown Sofia as a small group of pro-government counter-demonstrators, whom the protesters accused of being bussed in by the government, were placed just 50 meters across from the main demonstrators by police. Several groups of anti-government activists reportedly organized raids against the pro-government buses.[citation needed] The National Representation of Student Councils in Bulgaria accused pro-government police forces of illegally beating protesting students and demanded the resignations of police officers found responsible.[109] Chief Prosecutor Geshev released a series of wiretaps that he stated were collected by the State Agency for National Security. He alleged that the tapes proved that Aleksandar Paunov, Communist Party of Bulgaria leader and opposition MP, held a conversation with Vasil Bozhkov, a Bulgarian exile wanted by the prosecution. He further accused President Radev of "supporting fugitives from justice".[110] Paunov confirmed that he had a conversation with Bozhkov, but denied any wrongdoing. Nevertheless, he left the socialist parliamentary group to avoid associating it with Bozhkov and discrediting the protests, continuing his mandate as an independent politician.[111] The Union of Democratic Forces called on the prosecution to ban the communist party entirely, stating that it had supported the protests and "contributed to the destabilization of the country". They also expressed a desire to see all communist parties in the country banned.[112] 15 JulyA very large protest took place in the centre of Sofia, with turnout so big, that the demonstration stretched across several of the city's largest boulevards. The protests were peaceful throughout the day, but tensions escalated after 22:30 as young men attempted to break into the parliament's office building and threw fireworks, bottles, stones and red paint at the police, resulting in six arrests.[113] The opposition socialist party introduced a motion of no confidence against Borisov's government in parliament, accusing it of collaborating with the Bulgarian mafia.[114] Meanwhile, President Radev called for further peaceful protests, but cautioned participants to avoid provocations that could be used to 'sow discord' among the protesters.[115] Borisov issued his first concession to the protesters by asking his ministers for finance, the economy and the interior to resign after police violence was documented during the protests. Nevertheless, the ruling party excluded the possibility of early elections.[116] The majority of protesters rejected these concessions and vowed to keep protesting until the entire government resigns.[117] 16 July – Refusal of ResignationBoth Chief Prosecutor Geshev and Prime Minister Borisov made statements refusing to hand in their resignations and vowing to remain in power until the final day of their term.[118][119] That same day, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria, Bulgaria's largest labour union, officially endorsed the protests.[120] President Radev once again addressed the nation, rejecting the government's concessions and stating that no cabinet reshuffle could save the current government.[121] The protest on 16 July was stated to be the largest thus far, as the demonstrations spread to Bulgaria's smaller towns. The protest movement also saw demonstrations outside of the country, as student organizations and immigrant communities organized solidarity protests in London, Manchester, Berlin, Cologne, The Hague, Brussels, Copenhagen and other cities.[122][123] Prime Minister Borisov once again rejected calls for early elections, stating that his resignation would "break the country". Political analysts writing for New Europe stated that the government could expect to survive the no-confidence motion tabled for the following week, as the coalition government MPs had enough votes to reject the motion and keep the government in power at least until the next scheduled election in 2021.[124] He also announced that he was withdrawing his previous concession of demanding the resignations of three of his ministers – stating that neither he, nor his ministers would resign.[125] The protests continued late into the night. After several smoke bombs were thrown into the square, the protestors formed a human chain to prevent provocateurs from committing violent acts. The policemen guarding the demonstrators removed their riot shields in gratitude to the protesters.[126] 17 JulyProtesters gathered for the ninth day in a row to protest against the government. In addition to the usual protest sites, rallies were also held in Lovech, Kyustendil, Vratsa and Haskovo. Besides the protest at the city centre, protesters also gathered in front of the building of the Bulgarian National Television and demanded the resignation of its Director General, Emil Koshlukov.[127][128][129] National Assembly Chairwoman and leading GERB figure Tsveta Karayancheva made a statement in which she stated that holding early elections would be pointless, as she opined GERB would simply win again and form another government. She added that her party could not trust Radev in the formation of a caretaker government, as the previous such government in Bulgaria's recent history "sent shivers down her spine". She also accused President Radev of intentionally dividing Bulgarian society.[130] 18 JulyAt the end of the tenth day rally, protest leaders called on Bulgarians to begin civil disobedience and "besiege" all buildings belonging to the government (specifically mentioning the National Assembly), as well as those buildings belonging to state or municipal institutions, at 7 am on Monday, 20 July. This coincided with the parliamentary session in which the assembly was due to vote on the motion of no confidence brought by the socialists, which was expected to fail as pro-government MPs retained a majority in the chamber.[131][132] 19 JulyThe daily protests were joined by the first foreign rally in Nuremberg, organized by a 25 year old lawyer and Bulgarian expatriate in Germany. The Bulgarian National Radio noted that anti-Borisov protests had also begun occurring in Berlin, Paris and Barcelona, having been organized by communities of Bulgarian emigrants.[17] 20 July – Blocking of the metro system; Attempted dissolution of "Revival"Protesters blocked the National Assembly building and also briefly blocked the city's metro system as the parliamentary debate around the opposition's no-confidence motion began in the assembly.[133] Sofia's Prosecution authority stated that it was seeking to ban and dissolve Vazrazhdane, an extra-parliamentary party that had strongly supported the protests. The prosecution alleged that it had found "invalid data" among the party's documents, concluding that the party had been formed illegally. The party's leader stated that he was not surprised and believed that the DANS had been working on a "political order" to incriminate Vazrazhdane on false evidence for months by that point.[134] The three ministers whose resignation Borisov had offered to the protesters earlier in the week all confirmed that they would not be resigning and would continue serving in their current positions. IMRO leader and Minister of Defence Krasimir Karakachanov stated that he expected no major upcoming changes in the government's composition. Police forces began to look for ways to limit protesters' access to the city centre, as some protesters brought up the idea of not only surrounding the national assembly, but also occupying it. Though Bulgaria's Interior Ministry has refused to publish data on the amount of protesters, Balkan Insight stated that estimates suggested that at least 50,000 people were protesting concurrently each night by that point.[135] Separately, police forces detained a former parliamentarian, accusing him of aiding the protesters in briefly blocking the metro system earlier that day alongside two accomplices.[136] Socialist leader Korneliya Ninova accused the government of attempting to ban a traditional annual meeting at Buzludzha that marks the anniversary of the party's founding in 1891. She further accused mayors and functionaries belonging to the ruling party of allegedly threatening transport companies by telling them that they would never again receive government contracts if they agree to transport any socialists or their supporters to the meeting. Ninova stated that due to what she described as "the dictatorship's" attempt to ban the Buzludzha rally, the socialist party would instead hold its rally on the "yellow pavement" in Sofia's city centre.[137] Shortly thereafter, the government's health minister denied that he wanted to ban the meeting and announced that the socialists would be allowed to hold their rally in Buzludzha.[138] 21 July – Failure of no confidence motionThe Socialists' motion of no confidence in the nation's parliament ended in defeat as it gained the support of 102 MPs, while 121 MPs of the ruling coalition voted against. Protesters reacted negatively, chanting "Resign" and "Jail", whilst vowing to continue their demonstrations until both Borisov and the Chief Prosecutor resign.[139] A group of protesters attempted to besiege PM Borisov in Sofia Airport as he arrived from meetings with the European Union with the intention of not allowing him to leave until he agreed to resign. Their attempt failed, as the Prime Minister had already left the airport by the time they arrived.[140][141] Revival leader Kostadin Kostadinov complained of what he dubbed "brutal political repression", stating that members of his party were summoned to police interrogations after the prosecution announced its intention to have the party dissolved the previous day.[142] 22 July – "Yes, Bulgaria!" appeals to the GovernmentHristo Ivanov, the leader of Yes, Bulgaria! (part of the Democratic Bulgaria coalition) announced that he had petitioned not only the supreme judicial council, but also PM Borisov to order his justice minister to fire Chief Prosecutor Geshev – making him the first leader of an opposition party to negotiate with the government. He stated that he was "engaging" Borisov in front of the whole nation to order the justice minister to dismiss Geshev as a first step toward constitutional changes that he would like to propose in Bulgaria.[143][144][145] Two weeks after the protests began, protesters again rallied in Sofia's city centre, blocking seven major boulevards, as well as several bus and tram lines for several hours. Demonstrators threw flat caps at the Palace of Justice (referencing the Chief Prosecutor, who is known for wearing such caps) and toilet paper at the Council of Ministers building. The protesters chanted their refusal to accept minor concessions and insisted on the resignation of the entire government as well as the chief prosecutor. Protests also took place in cities and towns across Bulgaria, with smaller anti-government rallies being held for the first time in Sliven, Pazardzhik, Ruse and Yambol.[146][147] A major Bulgarian news outlet revealed that Chief Prosecutor Geshev had gone into paid vacation since 20 July. The prosecution's press office stated that he had taken a vacation in order to "work on the strategic priorities of the prosecution", adding that Geshev "worked best when he was resting".[148] The prosecution authority announced that it had brought charges against another former parliamentarian and current advisor in the field of energy policy to President Radev. It accused him of complicity in the brief blocking of Sofia's metro system three days prior. The other former parliamentarian arrested a couple of days prior was also charged with the same indictment.[149] 23 July – Government reshuffleHaving faced increasing pressure from street protests, the ruling coalition (GERB, IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement and the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria) decided to replace four government ministers. The ministers for tourism and the economy were replaced by their deputies, the minister of the interior was replaced by a high-ranking police officer, while the minister of healthcare switched positions to become minister of finance, his former post to be taken up by the head of a Sofia hospital.[150][151] The opposition parties rejected the replacements as an "imitation of change" and a "joke", continuing their calls for the resignation of the entire government and early elections.[151] The protesters were not satisfied with the cabinet reshuffle and anti-government protests spread across Bulgaria's major cities.[152] President Radev addressed the demonstrators, accusing the government of being "deaf" to protesters' demands and once again insisting on the resignations of the entire government and the chief prosecutor. He called for further protests, opining that the protest movement would be the 'beginning of the end' of the "corrupt model [of governance]" and expressed his support for early parliamentary elections and changes to Bulgaria's constitution.[153] 24 July – BNT interview incidentBulgaria's Chief prosecution authority demanded that Hristo Ivanov apologise for "misleading the prime minister" in his 22 July appeal to Borisov, in which he asked for the Chief Prosecutor's dismissal. It alleges that he made false statements in his report, thus defaming the chief prosecutor.[154] A large truck that was supposed to provide technical and audio equipment for the daily protest in Sofia was stopped by Bulgarian police outside the city. One of the protest's organizers stated that the truck was stopped and had its registration plates removed by police officers that offered no explanation for their actions, thus rendering the vehicle unroadworthy and unable to enter the city. The traffic police department stated that officers had stopped the 12-tonne truck during a "routine check" and discovered four different road law violations, issuing three fines. It stated that the truck was hence banned from Bulgaria's roads for the time being. Nevertheless, after the police left, the truck was driven into the city without any license plates. It arrived at the protest site at around 20:00.[155] The protesters took to blocking the capital's roads, blocking ten of the city's largest crossroads and demanding the resignations of the government, chief prosecutor, BNT's director general and the Mayor of Sofia. The resulting traffic jam led to a road rage incident in which an angry car driver rammed his car through the protesters in an attempt to pierce the road block. This resulted in a 19-year-old female demonstrator receiving minor injuries, though nobody was seriously hurt.[156] In response, some protesting groups threatened to blockade the country's highways.[157][158] A video recording emerged of a group of demonstrators co-organized by Yes, Bulgaria! and the "FIGHTER" association spilling trash bins onto the street and throwing beer bottles in an attempt to occupy the Bulgarian National Television building, where a debate was held between GERB's Parliamentary chief Daniela Daritkova and socialist leader Korneliya Ninova. The group had apparently refused to take part in the general protests and besieged the TV headquarters, leading to police intervention.[159][160] Ninova later stated that the protesters had allowed her to leave by foot, whereas Daritkova was held longer until freed by police.[161] Police authorities stated that both Daritkova and Ninova had refused police protection, while the crowd began to throw bottles and cans when it saw figures emerging from the building, necessitating a police response. They stated that Ninova left by foot, while Daritkova was blocked by protesters in her car, leading the police to break up the protest in order to allow her to leave.[160] It was later revealed that the refusal of the two representatives to accept police protection violated police protocols, causing Ninova to issue a public apology to the police officers involved.[162] The town of Karlovo saw its first protest as anti-government demonstrations became more commonplace outside of Sofia.[156] 25 July – Socialist RallyBy noon, protesters had blocked the Ruse-Varna and Ruse-Kubrat intercity roads, accusing the government of abandoning the roadside infrastructure and expressing a lack of faith in the country's institutions. In an attempt to avoid road rage incidents, demonstrators took to giving apology fliers to every car stuck in traffic near the protest site.[163] The Socialist Party defied the government by holding their annual anniversary demonstration in the centre of Sofia instead of on mount Buzludzha. Around 10,000 socialists arrived from across the country to the capital, where they paraded through the city and demanded the government's resignation. At the rally socialist leader Korneliya Ninova alleged that the government had attempted to bribe key socialist politicians in order to "break the left" during the protests, but stated that the plot had failed as the socialists had refused to "sell themselves".[161][164] The daily evening protest in Sofia was mostly cut short by a major thunderstorm, though some demonstrators stayed and threw tomatoes at government buildings. Protest organizers cautioned demonstrators to avoid hitting policemen with the tomatoes and instead only target the buildings.[165] Separately, residents of the Manastirski Livadi neighbourhood marched to the residence of the Mayor of Sofia and GERB member Yordanka Fandakova and demanded her resignation after she allegedly privatized a plot of land that was supposed to be earmarked for a municipal kindergarten.[166][167] Demonstrators in Varna took to briefly blocking the city's major intersections, while in Ruse protesters covered the ruling party's local headquarters in protest slogans. 50 members of a "citizens' committee" also declared that they would be launching a hunger strike in protest against the government.[165] 26 JulyBulgarian expatriates in the Australian city of Melbourne organized a rally in support of the protest movement and demanded the government's resignation. Smaller rallies were also organized in various cities in the United States, while the London protests had become a daily occurrence for two weeks in a row.[168] 27 July – Government announces new concessionsProtesters announced that they would be holding a nationwide general strike on 29 July. The nation's trade unions announced support for the movement, but stated that they would not be officially joining the strike, as only 20% of the unions' leaders had announced a readiness to go on strike.[169] Demonstrators also organized a mock "wish-writing contest" in front of the Bulgarian National Bank, as the date marked Bulgarian oligarch Delyan Peevski's birthday.[170][171] After a meeting with the ruling coalition, PM Borisov publicly announced a 2 billion lev stimulus package, slated to be transferred to retirees, the unemployed, paramedics and business leaders in an attempt to placate the protesters.[169] By evening, the government announced another concession – the GERB majority in Burgas' city council agreed to vote in favour of an opposition-sponsored resolution and void the April city council decision to privatize the public road that leads to the coastline and DPS Chairman Ahmed Dogan's mansion at Rosenets and sell it to a company linked to Dogan. The lack of public access to the coastline was one of the reasons that contributed to the start of the protests.[172] Despite both the government concessions and a rainstorm that had erupted over the capital, protests nevertheless continued. Most protesters rejected the government's "social package", calling it a "mockery" and asserting that the government's plan to give a one-time 50-lev (around US$30) pension boost to retired citizens would "neither help a retiree, nor give him a future". In response, several groups of protesters announced that they would be forming an "initiative committee" that would coordinate the various groups protesting against the government in a bid to further unify the protest movement. Meanwhile, anti-Borisov demonstrators in Germany took to a campaign of writing letters en masse to all the deputies of the German Bundestag. They hoped that they would be able to cut off support for Borisov by Germany by pressuring the ruling CDU/CSU, fellow EPP member and close ally to Borisov's party, to distance itself from him. In addition, the protesters took the decision to begin protesting in front of the CDU/CSU headquarters daily until their goal is reached.[173] Protesters in Sofia marched to the European Commission representation office in the country, demanding that the EU administration take note of the protests. Anti-government protests also erupted in many smaller towns across the country. During that day's protests, the result of an investigation into police brutality on 10 July were made public – revealing that at the investigation found that police had used "excessive force" and "violated the fundamental rights of the citizens" during the incident. In response undefined "disciplinary measures" were announced by the Ministry of the Interior.[174] 28 JulyRepresentatives of the tourism industry and tour operator companies joined the protests in front of the Council of Ministers, demanding that the adoption a crisis plan to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic that had decimated tourism in the country.[175] 29 July – New Audio Recording leak; Socialist Party leaves parliamentA scandalous audio recording once again leaked on the Internet. In the recording, which was likely made in the autumn of 2018, a voice, strongly resembling that of PM Borisov and a second, resembling that of Tomislav Donchev, discuss previous protests and President Radev, using very crude language. The voice resembling Borisov's states that "knowledge can only be given to a smart person, a dumb person can only take a dick", adding that dumb people are to be dealt with by "poisoning, fucking their mothers" and "giving them a dick". It then goes on to say that these "dumb people" are the ones in charge of the protest. It then mocks President Radev, calling him a "simple pilot" that is "one of many" and asserting that "the pilots of the civil aviation are a hundred times better pilots", concluding that the President should "fuck his own mother's pussy".[176][177][178][179] Meanwhile, protesters gathered earlier than usual across Sofia and blocked several key intersections in the city. An angry driver drove through a group of demonstrators that had set up a road block, which led to his car being surrounded and climbed on by protesters before a police intervention.[180] The Socialist Party's parliamentary faction yelled "Resign!" at government MPs and then demonstratively left the nation's parliament mid-session, after their demand to have the prime minister arrive at the assembly to answer questions was denied. The GERB-appointed Parliamentary Chairman ordered disciplinary punishments against the socialist MPs and motioned to have the session be continued without them.[181][182] The protests deepened, as protesters across the country poured in amid calls for nationwide protests. A large crowd gathered in central Sofia to protest against the government, drawing between 100,000 and 120,000 demonstrators, thus marking the largest anti-government gathering in Sofia so far. Democratic Bulgaria and Revival party members took out the flags of their political parties, which some protesters condemned and attempted to take down, resulting in a verbal altercation that ultimately led to a minor police intervention. In another incident, protesters threw bottles at Volya leader Veselin Mareshki at around 18:00 local time, after he stated before state television that the protests had been "corrupted by crazies". An hour later, the protests were joined by former Ombudswoman Maya Manolova. By 22:00, the citywide roadblocks increased in number to a total of 20, which in turn led to a number of altercations with angry drivers that were caught in traffic. Some of the protesters took the decision to set up tents as part of a more permanent sit-in, vowing not to leave the city's central square until the government resigns.[183][184][185][186][187] Protesters from Kazanlak and Stara Zagora organized a car-based protest with a few hundred vehicles, with which they blocked the highway between the two cities. Road blocks were also put up in the city Plovdiv, while near Ruse anti-government demonstrators blocked the border checkpoint at the Danube Bridge that marks the border between Bulgaria and neighbouring Romania.[188][184] 30 July – Supreme Court RulingProtesters set up tents and makeshift camps on key intersections, thus creating permanent roadblocks that blocked several of Sofia's major boulevards and forced over a dozen lines of the city's public transport system to be rerouted. To this end, groups of demonstrators heeded calls from protest organizers to "sleep under the windows of power". Police forces were mobilized and shortly thereafter and the Chief of Police announced that five intersections had been cleared of protests following "negotiations".[189]  The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria unanimously ruled that Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev was not permitted under the nation's constitution to investigate, wiretap or indict the country's president due to the legal immunity the constitution provides him.[190][191] At evening, President Radev addressed the media. He commented on the audio leaks released the previous day and opined that they showed "a clear sign of who is behind the discreditation campaign waged against the presidential institution", adding that "in his panicked attempts to save himself, the prime minister is taking his party and all of his fellow partymen down with him". Radev concluded by once more asking for the resignations of both the government and chief prosecutor, declaring that "there was no other exit" out of the situation. He then stated that he was ready with a caretaker government to replace Borisov's cabinet, as he deemed the process [of the overthrow of the government] to have become irreversible.[192][193] PM Borisov expressed his disagreement via a video he uploaded to Facebook, in which he claimed that the "enemies of natural gas diversification" were the ones protesting.[194] The roadblocks became permanent as tent camps emerged on various boulevards to man the roadblocks overnight, merging with other protesters by day to march around the city and throw tomatoes and eggs at the Council of Ministers building.[195] 31 July – Parliamentary session ends; National Assembly movesOn the 23rd consecutive day of protests, the National Assembly officially ended its parliamentary session and went into recess until September. The government declared that there would be no extraordinary sessions called during summer, despite a veto enacted by President Radev against a law that had recently been passed that would nominally require the parliament to reconsider the law no more than 15 days after the veto. The government coalition stated that it would not count the days during recess for the purpose of the 15-day reconsideration requirement.[196][197] Unexpectedly, the government also issued an announcement delivered by the Minister for the Environment alongside Valeri Simeonov, the leader of NFSB – one of Borisov's coalition partners. The government announced that following the recess, the national assembly would move to a new building – a brand new extension it had built to the former headquarters of the now-defunct Bulgarian Communist Party. The new wing of the building was equipped with special sound insulation to prevent assemblymen from hearing noises from the protest, separated the press area from the assembly floor to prevent journalists from having direct access to the parliamentarians and provided auxiliary exits from the building to MPs.[198][197] The Deputy Chief of Police announced that the roadblocks in Sofia were illegal and would be removed by police. He stated that police forces hoped to convince the protesters to take them down through closed-door negotiations, adding that the police would "raise its tone", as he opined that the current situation represented a "gross violation of public order".[199][200] One of the protest organizers alleged that he was "seriously offered money (a lot of money)" to "pack up his stall and leave", which he stated he rejected outright.[201] As protests continued, demonstrators from Stara Zagora attempted to leave the city and block the Trakia motorway, but had their vehicles blocked by police cars, while a group of Gendarmes arrived ready to disperse the demonstrators. The latter decided to leave their cars behind and walk to the motorway on foot, but were stopped by the Gendarmes present. Protesters appealed to the policemen, but the gendarmes stood their ground and did not permit them to pass.[202] August1 AugustThe System Kills Us organization, an association of parents and legal guardians caring for children with disabilities joined the protest movement and demanded the government's resignation. The organization organized a march on PM Borisov's home in Bankya and later attempted to drive a van into Sofia's central square. The van was blocked from reaching its destination by police forces near Sofia University's rectorate building.[203][204] System Kills Us' spokesperson stated that they would keep their protest routes a secret, as they feared retaliation from the ruling party's youth wing, alleging that the youth wing had threatened to lay nails and broken glass on the road in order to pop the tyres of their vehicles, so that they wouldn't "disturb the prime minister".[205] The government's Social Affairs Minister reacted by dubbing their protest a "political provocation".[206] 2 AugustProtesters in Sofia set up a "citizens' parliament" and collected signatures in a formal petition for the government's resignation. Meanwhile, demonstrators near Kresna briefly blocked the international route E79 motorway, but quickly faced a government response as dozens of policemen and gendarmes arrived at the roadblock and forced it to be dismantled.[207] Under the slogan "You are not alone" Bulgarians living abroad gathered in 22 cities across Europe, the US and Canada to support the protests and demand Borisov's resignation. Anti-government protests were for the first time reported to have occurred in Oxford, Exeter, Mannheim, Oslo and Stockholm.[208] 3 AugustA road block tent camp was established on the Stara Zagora-Haskovo road by anti-government demonstrators, which insisted that the police stop preventing them from blocking the Trakia motorway. Stara Zagora mayor Zhivko Todorov, himself a GERB member, arrived at the road block and attempted to convince the protesters to abandon their attempts. The protesters refused and instead began demanding for his resignation as well.[209] A road block was also established by demonstrators in front of Varna's municipal hall, while in Sofia the number of permanent tent camps had grown to three. One of the participants in the concurrent hunger strike announced that he had also been refusing water for several days, triggering concerns that he could die due to dehydration.[209] 5 August – Ruling party conferenceAmid the continuing daily protests, PM Borisov held a national conference of the ruling GERB party. The conference was open to MPs, ministers, district governors, mayors and municipal councillors belonging to the ruling party, as well as representatives of its coalition partners – the IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement, the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria and the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS). Surprisingly, Borisov announced that he was ready to resign "at any time", but that in such an event he desired the ruling coalition to continue governing without him, thus avoiding the prospect of having to call elections.[210][211] Anti-government protesters arrived on the scene of the conference and attempted to block the ruling coalition's representatives from leaving the premises. Tensions rose as protesters refused to leave and demanded the resignations of the entire coalition. Police forces then massed around the protesters and pushed them out of the way, thus clearing a path for the coalition's representatives to leave. In another incident, a group of conference participants, some wearing badges showing affiliation to the ruling party, assaulted a Radio Free Europe journalist and broke her phone. The journalist stated that she had previously seen them assaulting a group of anti-government demonstrators and wanted to ask them questions, upon which she was insulted by the group, then assaulted herself.[212] Media footage emerged of an elderly GERB leader than approaching the scene of the incident and defending the group, calling the journalist "trash" and telling her that "her presence was not welcome".[213] GERB distanced themselves from that day's events, stating that the "members and sympathizers of GERB were peaceful throughout the entire time" and that "paid provocateurs had pierced the security cordon and assaulted GERB members, citizens and journalists".[212] The 58-year-old hunger striker that had refused water was hospitalized after his health condition seriously worsened. Other anti-government protesters had managed to convince him to at least begin drinking water and call emergency medical services. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where doctors stated that he was in critical condition.[214] 6 August – Ruling coalition refuses calls to resignThe government held a closed-door council with its coalition partners to decide on whether or not to resign. The result were two public statements – the first delivered in an interview before Bulgarian television by prominent GERB politician Tomislav Donchev, in which he stated that the government could potentially resign in September, following the passage of "important laws" in the nation's parliament.[215] The second, contradicting statement was delivered later that day by Valeri Simeonov, leader of the NFSB party and coalition partner of Borisov. Simeonov stated that neither the government, nor Borisov would be resigning at any point, claiming that "there were no alternatives" and adding that the governing coalition would "not bow down to pressure from the street and evade [their] responsibility [to govern]".[216] Following Simeonov's statement, protesting crowds marched to the joint headquarters of the NFSB and SDS in Sofia, pelting it with eggs and tomatoes, which in turn led to a fistfight between a protester and young man present at the headquarters.[217] The opposition Socialist Party formally filed a motion for a new, extraordinary session of the National Assembly to be opened, demanding that the PM Borisov and his Interior Minister answer questions relating to the previous day's violent incidents during the ruling party's conference, as well as a review of the recently revised national budget. The country's constitution provides for their motion to be accepted so long as at it is backed by least a fifth of the national assembly's elected representatives.[218][219] 7 August – Police dismantles road blocksIn a press briefing in Sofia, the national police forces declared that they would no longer tolerate the presence of roadblocks and tent camps in the country. For this reason, at around 4:00 local time police and gendarmes undertook a major operation to storm all such protest installations in Sofia. Security forces massed on all road blocks and tent camps and demanded that participants leave, following which they attempted to take physical control of the sites. According to the national police, physical force was only used against one anti-government demonstrator, while another 12 were arrested for resisting the police operation. The van belonging to The System Kills Us, which had also refused to move, was seized by the police and impounded, while its owner was fined. By mid day, security forces had managed to successfully overwhelm demonstrators and dismantle all road blocks and tent camps in the city, restoring the normal flow of traffic.[220][221][222] Similar police operations took place in Varna and Stara Zagora, where similar road blocks were dismantled by government forces. Two protesters in Varna were also arrested for attempting to resist the police.[220][221][222] Analogous raids then took place in Plovdiv, where 60 demonstrators were fined by police for "violating public order".[223] NFSB leader Valery Simeonov stated before national television that the barricades had been dismantled in order to "avoid a small civil war in the country", while protest leaders vowed to respond by erecting more and larger road blocks all across the country.[221] The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists of Bulgaria (KRIB), a national chamber of commerce, expressed their enthusiasm for the police operation by writing a personal letter to PM Borisov, thanking him for his "fast reaction". KRIB claimed responsibility for triggering the police operation, stating that they had sent letters to the government three days prior in which they demanded for the police forces to dismantle demonstrators' barricades. KRIB also insisted that the government issue an order to restrict demonstrations to predefined 'suitable' locations only.[224] By evening, demonstrators gathered around and began rebuilding the tent camps and barricades. Some protesters set up tents on Eagles' Bridge in the capital, while others built barricades on the streets out of park benches, trash containers and other objects. One of the demonstrators was arrested by the police, which accused him of carrying a bat. This led to a group of demonstrators to form a human | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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