The pandemic requires significant changes in the agenda of Bulgarian society. The troubled health-care system as a consequence of the growing number of patients and medics infected with Covid-19 gives a new perspective to the political discussions in this country. In the spring people had the feeling that measures are timely, but now more and more analysts say that institutions are lagging behind events and forecast serious consequences for the health of Bulgarians and the economy. We are constantly reminded that it is the responsibility of each of us to comply with anti-epidemic measures in order to reduce pressure on hospitals and doctors and protect the health care system from collapse. Even the organizers of the country's 116-day of anti-government protests decided to change the form of discontent by halting daily demonstrations.

"We must preserve the ability of Bulgarian doctors and nurses to deal with the wave of patients. We are taking this move out of respect for our rescuers in white coats and disgust towards the power of the mafia. We consider it hypocritical to criticize the ruined health system and at the same time to create a risk of infecting even one of you! The government is afraid to take this responsibility because it will receive political accusations and will lose even more of people’s trust. That is why we take the responsibility," said lawyer Nikolay Hadzhigenov from the so-called "Poison Trio", which is behind the organization of the protests.

Public opinion has been awakened and no one dreamt of such a thing in March, writer Zahari Karabashliev said in an interview with BNR. He is among the people who signed an open letter demanding the resignations of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, Director General of BNT Emil Koshlukov, the chairman of the Culture Committee Vezhdi Rashidov and of parliament speaker Tsveta Karayancheva. According to Zahari Karabashliev, it is already clear that there would be no early elections:

"For me, the protests ended around October 2 and it was right... It is right now for everyone to go home and prepare for the elections, to be awake in the elections. There is no need for protests anymore. There is no need for people to be cold on the streets and to infect each other. It turned out that the government is more stable than the spontaneously organized protests," the writer says, adding that at the beginning he considered early elections as inevitable.

"It is most logical to have elections in March," TV journalist Sasho Dikov has told BNR, but added that he did not rule out the possibility of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov resigning at any time. “For years, his charisma helped him win support, but the latest recordings showed the ugly image of Boyko Borissov,” Dikov said in the program "Politically Incorrect" on BNR. “If we had a real prosecutor's office, this man would not have been in politics and would not have been free. But he is lucky that we do not have a working prosecutor's office… His second great luck is that no opposition forces can appear that would be recognized by the people as Boyko Borissov's opposition." However, the journalist does not rule out the possibility of Boyko Borissov winning the elections again.

"Whether it would be with regular or early elections - Borissov's era is over," the co-chairman of "Democratic Bulgaria" Gen. Atanas Atanasov commented the current situation in this country in an interview with BNR. According to him, the big corruption scandals during the GERB rule are over 70 and institutions in this country are out of place.

"In order for certain measures to be implemented, people must have confidence in the government ... What measures can you take when people do not trust you?" The politician, who is part of the non-parliamentary opposition says.

"This crisis is a threat to national security because the lives of Bulgarian citizens are endangered. The adequate reaction of the state must be a reaction to a threat to national security, but I do not see these elements at all," Atanasov said.

Compiled by: E. Karkalanova /based on interviews with BNR- "Horizont"/

English: Alexaner Markov