Foreign press ridicules Bulgaria's electoral process
The UK and foreign press have reported on the Bulgarian election campaign and, as usual, the coverage is disparaging. The Times reports that "underworld figures facing charges of racketeering, embezzlement and worse have found a novel way to escape jail in Europe’s most corrupt country: they are running for parliament".
The newspaper goes on to describe the case of the Galevi brothers, the reputed gangsters who have allegedly run their home town of of Doupnitsa as their personal fiefdom. "One of the Galev brothers, Plamen, stands a good chance of being elected as an independent MP despite facing charges of racketeering and running an organised crime group. He has been allowed out of jail for three weeks to campaign but could win at least four more years of freedom if he secures a seat in the 240-member parliament."
Euro News also comments on the legal loophole that has allowed defendants to run for office. "Bulgaria’s upcoming general election on Sunday is a chance for suspected criminals to escape legal proceedings against them. Bulgarian law grants immunity from prosecution to candidates, and several facing charges of corruption and organised crime have registered to stand."
The Irish Times notes that "President Georgi Parvanov has urged Bulgarians not to vote for suspected criminals, and a Bulgarian court yesterday froze more than two million euro of assets belonging to two such candidates. Prosecutors are also now investigating a former deputy interior minister for alleged bribery," the paper notes, but concludes that "voters seem unlikely to back the government’s belated anti-crime efforts at the ballot box".
The paper says that anger over the lost EU funds – on account of alleged corruption in Bulgaria – has spilled over into the campaign. "You deprived Bulgarians of much-needed EU funding, which could have helped compensate for dwindling foreign investment. We have the will and the ability to correct that," the paper quotes GERB election candidate Vladislav Goranov as telling a Socialist rival in a televised debate.
The Wall Street Journal, perhaps unsurprisingly, concentrates on the economic agenda of favoured candidate Boiko Borissov, noting that his "populist views on law and order, and his vague economic platform, make foreign investors nervous. But he also says he will turn to the IMF for help, something the current government has resisted and most economists would applaud".
The newspaper goes on to describe the case of the Galevi brothers, the reputed gangsters who have allegedly run their home town of of Doupnitsa as their personal fiefdom. "One of the Galev brothers, Plamen, stands a good chance of being elected as an independent MP despite facing charges of racketeering and running an organised crime group. He has been allowed out of jail for three weeks to campaign but could win at least four more years of freedom if he secures a seat in the 240-member parliament."
Euro News also comments on the legal loophole that has allowed defendants to run for office. "Bulgaria’s upcoming general election on Sunday is a chance for suspected criminals to escape legal proceedings against them. Bulgarian law grants immunity from prosecution to candidates, and several facing charges of corruption and organised crime have registered to stand."
The Irish Times notes that "President Georgi Parvanov has urged Bulgarians not to vote for suspected criminals, and a Bulgarian court yesterday froze more than two million euro of assets belonging to two such candidates. Prosecutors are also now investigating a former deputy interior minister for alleged bribery," the paper notes, but concludes that "voters seem unlikely to back the government’s belated anti-crime efforts at the ballot box".
The paper says that anger over the lost EU funds – on account of alleged corruption in Bulgaria – has spilled over into the campaign. "You deprived Bulgarians of much-needed EU funding, which could have helped compensate for dwindling foreign investment. We have the will and the ability to correct that," the paper quotes GERB election candidate Vladislav Goranov as telling a Socialist rival in a televised debate.
The Wall Street Journal, perhaps unsurprisingly, concentrates on the economic agenda of favoured candidate Boiko Borissov, noting that his "populist views on law and order, and his vague economic platform, make foreign investors nervous. But he also says he will turn to the IMF for help, something the current government has resisted and most economists would applaud".