The campaign on the EP elections has been going on in this country for some time now, despite its official start as of today. The forthcoming vote was present as early as at the large-scale protests against the government of Plamen Oresharski last summer. Political observers even talked on a possible 2 in 1 vote in May, combining the EP vote with early local general elections. In a month we will vote for MEPs only and political observer Dimitar Avramov talks on a similar phenomenon for many European countries – national problems dominate the European ones.

“As usual, we will look towards Europe and tackle our own issues. We will use the EP polls to think over who should and who shouldn’t govern Bulgaria. A bit over 50 percent of all polled by sociological agencies say the EP election will be a test for the cabinet of Premier Plamen Oresharski. May be such attitude is the right one, as any election in politics tests the trust towards whoever is in charge…”

The campaign is being banalized – this is the impression of political observer Dimitar Avramov. According to him political debates serve to the agenda of more nervous people, of those with lower social status and the ones with unsolved everyday problems. He blames the political elite for not considering solutions that could improve people’s life. Thus populism easily prevails. Another reason for the situation: the big question on early parliamentary elections due to the EP ones still hangs in the air.

“I don’t believe in early elections as a result from the EP ones, since no matter the result of the ruling socialist party, the overall result of the parties in the ruling coalition will be pretty high. My personal judgment is that no real grounds for early elections have existed here, despite the scandalous moves of the government. I see the protesters as a minority and their group is not politically relevant at this point.”

Even more alarming trends can be spotted across West Europe in this time of crisis and heavy economical recession. Avramov says that in some countries from the so-called old EU, such as GB, one can feel some serious pressure for redefinition of the European agreements and a rearrangement of Europe. That is why the election result of the nationalists, represented in Bulgaria by Ataka will be one of the major intrigues.

“We can’t assess whether a part of the Ataka electorate has oriented to another one in disappointment, or has hidden its preferences, as Ataka’s leaders behaved more like hooligans over the last months. European nationalist leaders raise legitimate issues in their interviews, such as the free movement of people within the EU, while Ataka relies on banal everyday topics and primitive scandals.”

There is no doubt that the behavior of the Ataka party, which supports the government, will affect the result from the EP election. At the same time turnout will be crucial on May 25, as according to sociological agencies about 50 percent of voters in Bulgaria will cast their ballot. A big group of people is honest to admit that the lack of enough information will prevent them from voting. “This is a really honest stance,” Dimitar Avramov comments.

“I think the Bulgarian society is well informed on what happens in Europe and on the significance of the EP elections. However, the European institutions and EU are quite a complex formation and most people fail to comprehend it. I don’t think this is a Bulgarian issue only and that is why it is normal for everyone to be motivated by these problems that lie close to him, to be influenced by local issues, persons, or political agenda. We shouldn’t be surprised by this.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev