Halloween elections

By Georgi Gotev

When reason sleeps, demons dance. At the Bulgarian elections held on Sunday, ultra-nationalists, far-right and pro-Russian forces obtained disturbing results.

Bulgaria has been unable to form a viable government over the last three years. This election is the seventh in a row in this period, with analysts warning that another failure would signal a collapse of democracy.

While the support for mainstream parties declined dramatically, illustrated by the falling number of voters who support them, the extremist parties are gaining ground. The anti-EU and openly pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane (Revival) was close to stealing the second place from the reformist ‘We continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria’, the ultra-nationalist Velichie (Greatness) crossed the electoral barrier for a second time, and for the first time another jingoistic force, MECH (Sword) will be represented in parliament.

On its website, the MECH party promotes itself as "the first truly pro-Bulgarian party in the modern history of Bulgaria." "We are not vassals of any embassy, and the interests of the Bulgarian people will be our top priority," MECH says.

One reason Bulgaria is unable to form a government is that long-serving former prime minister Boyko Borissov, whose GERB party usually comes first, is not a desired partner for other mainstream parties.

Bulgaria’s modern history has been marked by protests against him and Delyan Peevski, the most powerful and arguably the most toxic politicians of their time.

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Georgia’s president rejects the election result as the opposition urges the West to act. Several opposition representatives told Euractiv they expected the EU to respond with measures.

EU is too reluctant to use its ‘huge toolbox’ in the Middle East, Nasser Kamel UfM chief warns. EU countries have been examining options to exert pressure on Israel, but so far not found a strategy.

Tusk government doing well amid the challenges, expert says. He has also restored Poland’s standing on the European stage.

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• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels, Belgium.
• EU-Western Balkan Justice Ministerial Forum in Budva, Montenegro. Commissioner Didier Reynders will participate.
• Commissioner Ylva Johansson meets Prime Minister of Montenegro Milojko Spajić with Minister of Interior of Montenegro Danilo Šaranović in Podgorica, Montenegro.
• European Commissioner Stella Kyriakides delivers a speech at the opening high-level segment of the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• European Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski leads an agri-food business mission, meeting with the European Business Chamber of Commerce of Indonesia and visiting the Institut Pertanian Bogor University, delivering a lecture in Bogor, Indonesia.
• CEPS organises in Brussels, Belgium a conference on "What does the rest of the world expect from the EU?" 
• Chatham House organises in London, UK, a hybrid conference "Is the world ready for the next pandemic?”