One day after the opening of the new session of the Bulgarian National Assembly on January 15 media reactions and reactions in this country’s public space showed that the recent resignation of the Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Water and the appointment of his successorovershadowed the intentions of the political forces for the new political season. 

Some media note that the former Minister of Environment and Water Neno Dimov, charged with misconduct over the water crisis in Pernik, was released and his successor Emil Dimitrov was approved with the same resolution in the absence of Premier Borissov.

The refusal of the opposition party Volya to participate at the voting of Neno Dimov’s resignation and the appointment of Emil Dimitrov, which facilitated the formation of majority in favor of the new candidature, made strong impression of political analysts. The act of Volya party was in accordance with the opinion of political scientist Hristo Panchugov expressed in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio that the current government has no alternative, the 44^th National Assembly is rendered meaningless and there is no separation between the ruling parties and the opposition. It seems like the parties reached a consensus that the current government will end its term of office, Hristo Panchugov contends.  That is why he assumes that the motion of no-confidence which will soon be submitted by the Bulgarian Socialist Party against the country’s cabinet will fail, because none of the political parties represented at the National Assembly does not want early Parliamentary elections.

The political scientist told BNR that although the government looks stable, any subsequent crisis can change the situation dramatically. That is why the Bulgarian media probably focuses on the statements of the newly appointed minister rather than on the intentions and the plans of the political parties represented at the National Assembly for the new political season.

The media frontpaged Emil Dimitrov’s promise to do his best to overcome the water crisis in Pernik with the support of the whole Council of Ministers and personally Premier Borissov. In his latest statements, Minister Dimitrov underlines that he has already received concrete tasks by the Bulgarian Prime Minister. Dnevnik daily informs about the intention of Minister Emil Dimitrov to act mainly as an administrator and cooperate with the environmentalists, because he is not an expert in ecology.

Editor: Stoimen Pavlov

English version: Kostadin Atanasov