Bulgaria's President Becomes the Messenger amid Mass Social Protests

Although he was booed and forced to leave, President Plevneliev turned Sunday into the sole politician in the country so far, who dared to appear before the disgruntled Bulgarians. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's president has taken on the task to hand over the protesters' demands to the institutions in charge.

After the new wave of mass protests across the country, Rosen Plevneliev vowed to officially inform the National Assembly, the heads of parliamentary groups, the members of the outgoing government, the members of the Advisory Council on National Security.

Despite strong disagreements among different groups of disgruntled people, they managed to come up with a list of demands, which features key points, including: not adjourning the Parliament; the President appointing a program government instead of a caretaker one; drafting a Civil Participation Bill providing a 50% civil quota in all institutions; returning 51% of the shares of power utilities to the State; closing the Bulgarian Energy Holding, BEH, for draining the energy sector, summoning a Grand General Assembly, establishing a procedure to recall Members of the Parliament.

Earlier in the day all Bulgarian TV channels aired live the appearance of President Rosen Plevneliev at Sunday's mass protest in Sofia, fulfilling his earlier pledge to honor the organizers' invitation to attend the rally.

Guarded personally by the Chief of the National Security Services, NSO, Gen Todor Kodzheykov, Plevneliev stepped on an improvised tribune in an attempt to address the crowd.

He told the demonstrators he wished to thank them for submitting with him their demands and invited their representatives to a meeting at his office, but could not say much due to very laud hissing, booing, and shouts "resignation" and "mafia" forcing him to leave the location.

Nevertheless, as many have already commented, he is the only politician in the country so far, who dared to appear before the disgruntled Bulgarians, despite all political parties attempting to score points from the two-week-long protests.

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