Combating Corruption in Bulgaria: The Role of Innovators and the Challenges of Reform

2023-09-17 20:09:00

Contents

Author: An analysis by Sarah Nowotny

In Bulgaria, parties that are serious regarding fighting corruption are now ruling alongside parties from the old, corrupt system. This cost the innovators a lot of sympathy. But perhaps it is the best way to a better functioning state. Because the elimination of corruption often goes wrong if it is too thorough.

If bribery is part of everyday life, everything works worse without bribery. Example of building permits: If you give money to an official, it will come quicker and the official will earn more. The building owner and officials benefit from it. If this type of bribery is no longer possible, both lose in the short term.

Kiril Petkov’s futile struggle

There are few in Bulgarian politics who are trying to rid the country of corruption. And many who don’t want to change anything. Boyko Borissov stands for these many who don’t want to change anything. He was head of government in Bulgaria for many years, and he still gets the most votes in almost all elections – even though he is surrounded by scandals.

Kiril Petkov stands for the few who want to change something in Bulgaria. He was also Bulgaria’s head of government for a few months last year. He studied at an elite university in the USA. He promised an end to corruption. As head of government, Petkov wanted to change things quickly. Probably too much, too fast. For many people, everyday life became more difficult – Kiril Petkov’s fight once morest corruption made many people angry. After a few months, the long-established politicians in parliament overthrew his government.

Innovators choose new paths

But now what was not thought possible has happened: the party of Kiril Petkov, the innovator, is ruling together with the party of Boyko Borissov, which represents the old system riddled with corruption. Neither side had enough votes to govern alone. Voters believe that the innovators are now turning a blind eye to corruption and have become part of the old system.

But what has happened recently in Bulgaria suggests the opposite: the innovators in the government have prevented billions for road maintenance from going to the usual suspects through manipulated tenders. They ensured that Bulgaria’s government drew up a plan for the future of coal mines and power plants. And they managed to close tax loopholes, so that in the last two months the Bulgarian state collected a billion francs more than it spent.

The examples show that innovators may achieve more in a corrupt system if they join forces with the old rulers. Even if the state is still riddled with corruption. Even if the reformers sometimes have to act as a fig leaf, small steps for the better are possible.

Sarah Nowotny

Eastern Europe correspondent

Open the people box. Close the people box

Sarah Nowotny is Eastern Europe correspondent for SRF. She lives in the Polish capital Warsaw. Nowotny has been working at Radio SRF since 2014. She previously worked for “NZZ am Sonntag” and “Der Bund”.

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