Bulgarian elections

[freek]

Too bad. I hoped for the party of the former king to win. He led the first decent government since the fall of communism.

[freek]

The parties passing the 4%-barrier:

Coalition for Bulgaria are the ex-communists and some smaller allies

SIINM is the party of the former king Simeon II

MRF is the party of the Turkish minority (now in the government too)

Attack is a new ultra-nationalist party, opposed to EU accession

UtDF is the Union of Democratic Forces, they used to be the largest right wing party (and also formed a government once or twice) before the king formed his national movement.

DSB is a splitoff of the UtDF, a bit more hardline than the UtDF (new party).

BPU is a christian democratic/agrarian party, already in parliament

[freek]

On Attaka:

-Racist comments against Turks and Roma (who make up 10% and 5% of the population, respectively. Most Bulgarian, and some Romanian gypsies are Muslims btw.) He went as far as demanding Gypsies be put into forced labor camps, a statement he retracted immediately after.

The best showing of Attaka was in the parts where there is a sizable Turkish minority. That part of the program did it quite well then.

Don't forget that the communists tried to kick all the Turks out of the country (or at least "bulgarize" them) in the eighties. Most Bulgarians are not pro-Turkey, to say it mildly.

[freek]

The socialists and the Turkish minority party have 116 of 240 seats together, just short of a majority, so they do need a third party.

[freek]

Do you have a map? Both of the results and the distribution of minorities?

I have found a minority map:



A map of the distribution of votes I couldn't find yet, but the official results are due today.

[freek]

And Simeon? Future president?

No idea.

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Not a member of the new cabinet, replaced by a Socialist.

The new cabinet includes 8 Socialists not counting Stanishev, one of them (the new foreign minister) also deputy pm, 5 Simeonites (but neither Passy nor Simeon), 3 Turks (but not their party head Ahmet Dogan), and one independent (at finance. He used to be of the main rightwing party, the Union of Democratic Forces, and was deputy finance minister from 97-01. He quit that party in 03.)

Let's hope this government is capable of finishing all the reforms necessary to be admitted to the European Union. The antipathy between the socialists and the simeonites does not promise much good.