The political situation in the country has exacerbated after the European Com­mission imposed a serious financial sanction on the country by suspending the dis ­bursement of EUR 220 million from its pre-accession PHARE program. The reaction of the Bulgarian political circles from the governing tri-partite coalition ranged from an extreme disappointment to attempts to accuse the European Commission of a biased attitude with respect to Bulgaria. Subsequently, the government adjusted its stance and sought for new forms of dialog with Brussels. The opposition used the occasion to attack the government poignantly and even to demand its resignation. The opposition parties inhabiting the right-centrist spectrum of the political en ­vironment have been enhancing their activity with a view to the approaching general election next year. Among them, the leading right-centrist party is GERB, which is likely to return the largest parliamentary faction to the next National Assembly, has been cat ­egorically refusing to set up pre-election coalitions, probably with the hope of possibly winning an absolute parliamentary majority, something which from today’s point of view seems highly unrealistic. At the same time, the small and older right-wing parties are looking increasingly more actively for options to start a process of rapprochement and set up a possible coalition agreement. This qualification concerns mostly parties such as DSB and the UDF. The major party in the governing tri-partite coalition – the BSP – has managed to consolidate its positions after its last Congress and for the time being has subdued internal conflicts. This fact was expressed at the highest party forum as well by the almost unanimous election of Sergei Stanishev to the post of party leader. According to the opinion poll surveys, the BSP is expected to get about 15 percent of the electoral vote at the general election next year, but this percentage may increase in result of the party’s enhanced activity in the course of the election run-up.