Political And Economic Changes In Bulgaria :: essays research papers

Political and Economic Changes In Bulgaria     Over the course of the bygone two calendar months, January and February 1997,Bulgaria has undergone some sweeping political changes and its economy hasdeteriorated into further collapse. The avocation is an attempt to describe theevents which took place in Bulgaria in January and February of 1997. This issomewhat of a difficult task given the current rate of political, economical and kind changes which are occurring in Bulgaria. What follows is an account ofthe events which have taken place in Bulgaria over the last two months i.e.January and February of 1997, subject to the news material which was obtainableto me and to the time constraints of this project.     Bulgarias economic crisis exploded into popular outrage at the line of January 1997, when previously quiescent Bulgarians poured into thestreets to demand that the governing BSP, leave government agency presently rather than when thei rfour-year term expires at the end of 1998.     After a month of mostly peaceful daily protests that paralysed Sofia andbrought much of the countrys business to a halt, the Socialists, who wish thekind of fiercely loyal police and media that have sustained death chair SlobodanMilosevic in neighbouring Serbia, submitted to the protesters demands onWednesday, February 5th 1997. They opposed to hand over power to a caretakergovernment until new elections in mid-April, which they are unlikely to win,when young polls conclude that only 10% of the population currently prolong theBSP. "Wed better celebrate now, because we have very hard days ahead," utterIvan Kostov, leader of the opposition United Democratic Forces. ( Source OMRIDaily Digest, eighteenth February 1997. ).     The newly elected Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov named an interimcabinet headed by Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofianski to oversee the country and itscollapsing econo my until a new fantan is chosen in general electionsscheduled for April 19. The appointment means that the upsurge protests forced theleaders of the Socialist majority in parliament to agree to a new ballot 20months before the end of their nonappointive term. Sofianskis caretaker cabinetincludes strong critics of the BSP and has announced it will abolish theeconomic training portfolio created by them.     This new caretaker government has already begun to dismantle the large digit of government Ministries which were set up by the former Communists, theBSP. Literally thousands of polite Servants are being made redundant, as thecaretaker government attempts to pave the air for Administrative Reform in boththe Central and Local Governments of Bulgaria.      save before this project went to press, on Thursday, the 27th of