Bulgaria’s government resigned from office after nationwide protests against high electricity prices, joining a long list of European administrations felled by austerity measures.
Prime Minister Boiko Borisov had tried to calm protests by sacking his finance minister, pledging to cut power prices and punish foreign-owned companies, but the measures failed to defuse discontent and protests continued on Tuesday.
Many Bulgarians are deeply unhappy over high energy costs, power monopolies, low living standards and corruption in the European Union’s poorest country.
At least 25 people were taken to hospital after protesters clashed with police late on Tuesday.
“I will not participate in a government under which police are beating people,” Borisov said as he announced his resignation on Wednesday.
The spark for the protests was high electricity bills, after the government raised prices by 13 percent last July. But it
quickly spilled over into wider frustration with Borisov’s domineering manner and unpredictable decision making.
The premier did not say if a parliamentary election scheduled for July would now be brought forward. Borisov’s rightist GERB party is the dominant faction in parliament but will not take part in talks to form a new government, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said.
“He made my day,” student Borislav Hadzhiev, 21, in central Sofia said, commenting on Borisov’s resignation. “The truth is that we’re living in an extremely poor country.”
GERB’s popularity has held up well and it still leads, just, in the polls, largely because budget cutbacks have been
relatively mild compared with those in many other European countries. Salaries and pensions were frozen rather than cut.
But the last opinion poll, taken before protests grew last weekend already showed the opposition Socialists were nearly
tied with the ruling party and analysts said the protests had boosted the Socialists’ chances.
Unemployment in the country of 7.3 million is far from the highs hit in the decade after the end of communism but remains at 11.9 percent and average salaries are stuck at around 800 levs ($550) a month.
Millions have emigrated in search of a better life, leaving swathes of the country depopulated and little hope for those who remain.
Can we people in Pakistán even Think of our minister resigning as done in Bulgaria…..NO…..because in our diccionario we do not have word such as RESIGN…
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